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Robert Venturi
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Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture Paperback – Illustrated, January 1, 1977

by Robert Venturi (Author), Vincent Scully (Introduction), Arthur Drexler (Foreword)
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First published in 1966, and since translated into 16 languages, this remarkable book has become an essential document of architectural literature. A "gentle manifesto for a nonstraightforward architecture," Venturi’s Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture expresses in the most compelling and original terms the postmodern rebellion against the purism of modernism. Three hundred and fifty architectural photographs serve as historical comparisons and illuminate the author's ideas on creating and experiencing architecture. Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture was the winner of the Classic Book Award at the AIA's Seventh Annual International Architecture Book Awards.
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  1. Print length
    136 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    The Museum of Modern Art
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1977
  5. Dimensions
    10.9 x 0.4 x 8.4 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0870702823
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0870702822
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Socially conservative at a time of great social upheaval, while reminding readers that our current situation calls for anything but complacency. -- John Hill ― A Daily Dose of Architecture Books

About the Author

Robert Venturi is a partner in the firm of Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, Inc., Philadelphia. He has taught at Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania, and was a Fellow and later Architect in Residence at the American Academy in Rome. His writing, teaching, and architectural work have had a decisive influence on the younger generation of architects throughout the world. Venturi is also the author of Iconography and Electronics Upon a Generic Architecture and, with Denise Scott Brown and Steven Izenour, Learning from Las Vegas.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The Museum of Modern Art; 2nd edition (January 1, 1977)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 136 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0870702823
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0870702822
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.9 x 0.4 x 8.4 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

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Robert Venturi

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
153 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Bert1
5.0 out of 5 stars happy customer
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2019
Verified Purchase
book arrived on time and exactly as described. very happy!
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DAVID FEINBERG
5.0 out of 5 stars THIS BOOK BECAME THE GURU BIBLE OF YOUNG GRADUATES OF ...
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2015
Verified Purchase
THIS BOOK BECAME THE GURU BIBLE OF YOUNG GRADUATES OF PENN, ETC.
VENTURI WAS ONE OF MY PROFESSORS 55 YEARS AGO!!!!
.
5 people found this helpful
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James Ferguson
4.0 out of 5 stars A Gentle Manifesto
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2010
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This book is less a manifesto than it is a very interesting look at how architecture has evolved over the last 2000 years. Venturi evocatively shows that there was no straight line approach to architecture, but rather an ever-changing and ambiguous path that Modernists chose to make short cuts through. In this sense, Venturi really does capture the complexity and contradiction in architecture in that there are many lessons to be learned, making this book as valuable today as it was in 1966 when it first appeared.

Being one of the early "gray" architects, Venturi inspired a movement that eventually became characterized as "Post Modern." His early architectural work left a lot to be desired, since it seems less inspired by the many historical examples he favored, like  Frank Furness , in this book and more by the banal trends in contemporary architecture at the time, eventually leading to  Learning from Las Vegas  (1972), where the concept of a building being a "duck," or a decorated shed, emerged.

This book's most appealing aspect is that it is immediately accessible. You don't have to be an architect to understand where Venturi is coming from, much less a grad student working on a dissertation. Venturi avoids all that senseless jargon that characterized architectural theory at the time and later came to engulf Po-Mo talk as well.
23 people found this helpful
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Julip
5.0 out of 5 stars Affordable and in great condition!
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2014
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Love this book! Venturi has an interesting and fairly extreme way of thinking and this book covers it all. The photos are beautiful on the glossy pages.
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Fahad Al-Issa
5.0 out of 5 stars Gifted
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2014
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it was a gift to my sister for he birthday and she love it as per her feed back to me.
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L. Pillar
3.0 out of 5 stars Complexity in a Text
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2013
Verified Purchase
We ordered this book after watching an architecture show on PBS because post-modernism was hi-lighted, and this author's book was especially singled out. [Chicago's Harold Washington Public Library is a recent example of post-modernism.] It is not a layman's explanation for a style of architecture, which we were looking for. Nor is it a graphic sofa book on which to gaze, which we would have been okay with but not really hoping for.

We are architecture enthusiasts but this was a bit more than we were expecting. Perhaps too complex. Perhaps more appropriate for college students of architecture.
4 people found this helpful
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J. Mis
5.0 out of 5 stars She is satisfied. Thanks
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2015
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It was for daughter of my friend for school. She is satisfied. Thanks.
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Top reviews from other countries

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sangaralingham
5.0 out of 5 stars Complexity and contradictions in architecture
Reviewed in Canada on December 30, 2021
Verified Purchase
Interesting and educating book useful for budding architect and those interested in architecture like me
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Rod Pichdez
4.0 out of 5 stars Great but could've been more.
Reviewed in Mexico on March 25, 2019
Verified Purchase
The format, while great for images and its appreciation, makes it difficult for a comfort reading possition. Also, I believe while excellent ideas, Venturi doesn't always express himself in the most adecuate way.
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Suchet Dutta
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing read.
Reviewed in India on September 13, 2019
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A quintessential book in every architect's life.
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Tereza
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Must-Reads in Architecture!
Reviewed in Germany on December 7, 2018
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Finally I got a new copy of one of my favorite books in architecture theory. I lost my old one and was really happy to find it on the book market. A really great book about the complex issues and sometimes contradictory matters in architecture.
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MH
5.0 out of 5 stars TB
Reviewed in France on December 26, 2018
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TB
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