Antonin Raymond: An Autobiography

by Antonin Raymond

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As the first architect to synthesize traditional Japanese forms and ideas with the new design philosophy of the West, Antonin Raymond has been a major creative force during a great part of this century. Raymond, as a young graduate architect, had journeyed from his native Bohemia to the United States in search of the new world of architecture heralded by the achievements o As the first architect to synthesize traditional Japanese forms and ideas with the new design philosophy of the West, Antonin Raymond has been a major creative force during a great part of this century. Raymond, as a young graduate architect, had journeyed from his native Bohemia to the United States in search of the new world of architecture heralded by the achievements of Frank Lloyd Wright. He met and worked with Wright at his Taliesin home, but did not find in America the creative milieu he sought.

Accompanying Wright to Japan to assist in planning and building the Imperial Hotel, Raymond responded strongly to the beauty of traditional Japanese architecture and art. In 1921, the 32-year-old Raymond began his career as an independent architect in Tokyo, adapting new technologies to the universal principles embodied in Japanese forms. Over the years, he revolutionized the arts of design and construction in Japan and created many works which now rank as milestones of modern architecture. Architecture is not the only medium in which he has distinguished himself; Raymond is an accomplished painter, sculptor and musician.

As this book reveals, Raymond has been impelled toward the central events of our century. Serving as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Expeditionary Force in World War I, he was present at the inception of the Czechoslovak nation. Decorated by many governments, he was a Czechoslovak consul in pre-World War II Tokyo. Returning to that city in 1945, he witnessed its painful recovery from the devastation of the war as, earlier, he had witnessed the Great Kanto Earthquake and its aftermath.

Fascinating people appear in these pages. Frank Lloyd Wright, a giant presence, is vividly depicted as a warm friend and exacting mentor, a respected colleague and a wrathful adversary. Here, too, are the poet Paul Claude, the composer Igor Stravinsky, painters and architects like Le Corbusier, Fernand Léger, Amédée Ozenfant, Taro Okamoto, Kenzo Tange, and many others.

Mrs. Raymond, a distinguished painter and designer, has contributed much to the Raymond style, and her presence enlivens and enriches this account.

This book will be absorbing, entertaining reading for anyone interested in the important artistic developments of our century.

including 37 color plates, more than 600 black-and-white plates and illustrations, over 100 plans ...more

Hardcover , 1st English edition , 328 pages

Published 1973 by Tuttle Publishing (first published 1970)

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