ONLINE: The Politics of Brutalism

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Madison Trust for Historic Preservation

The Chazen Museum of Art is an example of Brutalist architecture.

media release: Brutalism was coined in the 50s as a positive term denoting strict honesty in architecture. It was then largely forgotten but resuscitated at the end of the 20th century as a derogatory label at the same time the buildings it described reached the nadir of their popularity. More recently advocates have flipped the term on its head, using it to praise these same buildings. It now appears that as these large concrete structures have become old enough to count as historic the term is increasingly settling into general use as a neutral style label. This talk will explore some of the more prominent buildings described as Brutalist—for example Le Corbusier’s chapel at Ronchamp, the Smithson’s Hunstanton School, Paul Rudolph’s Art and Architecture Building at Yale—and the thousands of other buildings constructed across the world (including Madison- come with your opinions about the Mosse Humanities Building at UW Madison) during the apogee of Brutalism and the way the odd trajectory of this label mirrors fights within the world of architecture and the public at large about the proper form of architecture in the public realm.

Presented by Robert Bruegmann

Robert Bruegmann is an historian and critic of the built environment and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Art History, Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  He is the author of numerous books and articles including The Architects and the city:  Holabird & Roche of Chicago 1880-1918, 1998, Sprawl: A Compact History, 2005, The Architecture of Harry Weese, 2010 and Art Deco Chicago Designing Modern America, 2018.  He is working on a book on Chicago architects Ben and Cindy Weese and a novel set in mid-19th century Europe. His main areas of research are in architectural and urban history, landscape design and historic preservation.

TICKETS: Madison Trust Members $5.00 | General Public $10.00