Vincent Kling, most associated with large-scale urban reconfiguration and its attendant heroic, often severe architecture, is seldom thought of in connection with humane modernism and the post war era’s search for a new domestic paradigm.
Kling’s initial professional recognition, however, came for his houses; their unique combination of strict modernist precepts with qualities that reflected American popular culture set them apart. This simultaneous appeal to both the high and low-brow is exemplified by the inclusion of one of his houses both in MoMA’s “Built in the USA:1932-1944” and in post war magazine ads touting the sense of optimism and adventure associated with driving the ”futuramic” rocket-action Oldsmobile.
This paper will survey the evolution of Vincent Kling’s humane domestic architecture as a precursor to the aesthetic for which he became best known.
About the presenterDaniel Vieyra
TBA