DOCOMOMO US/New York Tri-State Modern Conversations Series

DOCOMOMO US/New York Tri-State presents a virtual program coinciding with the recent publication of G.E. Kidder Smith Builds: The Travel of Architectural Photography (ORO Editions) written by Angelo Maggi with foreword by Michelangelo Sabatino. This is the first book to examine the multifaceted and lengthy career of the New York based G. E. (George Everard) Kidder Smith (1913–1997), best known for his popular and influential publications, such as Sweden Builds (1950), Italy Builds (1955), and the monumental three-volume The Architecture of the United States (1981), many of which documented Modern architecture.

Angelo Maggi and Michelangelo Sabatino will discuss G. E. Kidder Smith’s distinctive contribution to North American architectural photography and advocacy in the second half of the twentieth century. Although he trained as an architect, he chose not to practice within the conventional strictures of an architecture office. Instead, Kidder Smith “designed,” researched, wrote, and photographed a remarkably diverse collection of books about architecture and the built environment. In addition to publishing books, curating exhibitions early in his career, teaching occasionally (MIT, Yale), and appearing on television (“An Architectural Odyssey” in 1978), other lasting contributions include his preservation activism. Maggi and Sabatino will be joined by Neil Donnelly who will discuss the design of Kidder Smith’s books and how they informed the graphic design strategy for the new publication.

Angelo Maggi is associate professor of History of Photography and Architectural History at Università Iuav di Venezia. He was trained as an architect at Iuav and Edinburgh College of Art, where he obtained his Ph.D. in Architecture and Visual Studies. His teaching in Italy and abroad and his recent work has revolved around the study of architectural photography as a tool of history investigations. He is the author of the monograph G.E. Kidder Smith Builds. The Travel of Architectural Photography (August 2022), Oro Editions.

Michelangelo Sabatino is professor in the College of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he directs the PhD program in architecture and is the inaugural John Vinci Distinguished Research Fellow. His recent books include Canada: Modern Architectures in History (with Rhodri Windsor Liscombe, 2016), Avant-Garde in the Cornfields: Architecture, Landscape, and Preservation in New Harmony (with Ben Nicholson, 2019), Making Houston Modern: The Life and Architecture of Howard Barnstone (with Barrie Scardino Bradley and Stephen Fox, 2020), Modern in the Middle: Chicago Houses 1929–1975 (with Susan Benjamin, 2020) and Carlo Mollino Architect & Storyteller (with Napoleone Ferrari, 2021). He is a member of the Board of Directors of Docomomo US.

Neil Donnelly is a graphic designer and founder of Neil Donnelly Studio based in Brooklyn. He is the graphic designer of G.E. Kidder Smith Builds: The Travel of Architectural Photography. He works in graphic design across media with clients in art, architecture, publishing, and public service. His work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Gwangju Design Biennale, and the New Museum. Neil has lectured, taught courses, and led workshops at Yale University School of Art, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Parsons School of Design, Maryland Institute College of Art, and the School of Visual Arts.

Saturday March 4, 1:00pm ET
Virtual presentation. Registrants will receive a link to access the program.
Free for DOCOMOMO Members; $10 General Admission
Advance Registration Required

REGISTER

You may purchase the book from the publisher’s website at a 15% discount until March 6, 2023. Enter the code “March4” at checkout.