Michael Graves
(Dream House Assignment)
By: Santana Tomasek
Michael Graves was born on July 9th, 1934 in
Indianapolis, Indiana. Ever since he was a child he’s
had an interest in drawing and painting. Graves also had a mentor; Ray Roush.
He received his degree of Bachelor of Science in Architecture in 1958. The
following year he obtained his Master of Architecture Degree.
Mr. Graves started his career in the 1960’s, creating private houses. He
used the abstract style of orthodox modernism, being influenced by Le Corbusier.
By the 1970’s he began to reject the boring, unadorned Modernist as too cool
and abstract. He soon began seeking a richer architectural vocabulary that the
public would have more access to.
He drew in great waves of attention with his
designs for several large public buildings in the
1980’s. Two of his most famous buildings are The
Portland Public Service Building (1980), and the
Humana Building (1982). They were notable for their large size, and for Graves
very personal Cubist interpretations of classical elements. Even though they may
have been somewhat awkward, these and some of his later works are acclaimed for
their very powerful and energetic presences.
Two of his other rather monumental projects were the restoration of the
Washington Monument, and the expansion of the Detroit Institution of Arts.
(The picture above is the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort that
he also designed).
By the mid-1980’s Graves was arguably the most the most original and
popular figure working in the postmodernist idiom. He designed for clients around
the world. In the 1980’s he created a playful and iconic teakettle, and later went
on to design household items for the retailer Target. For his lifelong works, he
was awarded the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal ((AIA) for
lifelong work).
Michael Graves has published scholarly writings on his own work
and teaching. “The Swedish Connection,” published in the Journal of
Architectural Education in 1975, describes a short design exercise Michael
himself often assigns his students in graduate design studio. The issues of
architectural character are introduced through existing context. This was one of
Michael’s biggest concerns in his own work.
In the 1970’s Graves was known as one of the “New York Five”
as a result of the publication of Five Architects , the outcome of a meeting of
Conference of Architects for the Study of the Environment (CASE). This was
held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1969. His work was
represented along with that of Peter Eisenman, Charles Gwathmey, John Hejduk,
and Richard Miner.
Graves is still alive and lives in New Jersey in the house he designed
for himself, where he paints portraits of his youngest son (8), and other things.
He is 76.
http://architect.architecture.sk/michael-graves-architect/michael-gravesarchitect.php
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/242348/Michael-Graves
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/arts/design/30graves.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/242348/Michael-Graves