Michael Graves

"In 1960, before his architecture and product design had made him a household name, Michael Graves set out on a journey once considered essential for a young architect: a Grand Tour of the great monuments of Europe. As a recipient of the prestigious Prix de Rome, Graves traveled through Italy, Greece, Turkey, Spain, England, Germany, and France, studying and recording the masterworks of architecture." "Michael Graves: Images of a Grand Tour collects for the first time the stunning artwork he produced during this trip. Delicate pencil sketches, striking ink washes, and colorful photographs show the deep connection Graves had to the places he visited, from the Roman Forum to the Athenian Acropolis to Wiltshire's Stonehenge. They also tell something of the education of an architect, bringing to light the architecture and landscapes that would cause Graves to reexamine his early devotion to International Style modernism and develop his own unique architectural language. A foreword by Graves reflects on these travels from the distance of forty years, while author Brian Ambroziak puts the tour into the context of Graves's life and work."--BOOK JACKET