The fall and rise of Paul Rudolph’s reputation
The American modernist’s buildings are often easier to admire than love, but his critical stock is undoubtedly on the up again
The cult buildings of Carlo Scarpa
The Italian modernist who was at his most creative working in historic settings left behind an intensely individual legacy
Dreaming spires – the restless imagination of Imre Makovecz
The Hungarian architect with a penchant for the fantastical left behind a series of highly provocative buildings
Richard Serra, man of steel (1938–2024)
The sculptor saw possibilities in steel that no one else had before, creating works that altered viewers’ perception of space
When French theory shaped high-minded buildings
Deconstructivism wasn’t exactly a movement, but its practitioners – from Frank Gehry to Bernard Tschumi – certainly caused a great stir
Is the grand museum entrance now on its way out?
In the pursuit of greater accessibility, institutions are making themselves oddly unapproachable
The subtle details that put Paris streets ahead
Street lights, kiosks and benches are easy to ignore, but they can make all the difference to how a city look and feels
What’s the point of old postcards?
Unused postcards may seem like a blast from the past, but they can still send a powerful message
The other-worldly architecture of Rudolf Steiner
The mystically inspired polymath was never a professional architect, but his haunting buildings are among modernism’s most curious structures
‘It has always been a museum of the future’ – at the original Smithsonian
The Arts and Industries Building on the National Mall has finally reopened – and it remains as forward-looking as ever
Loved shacks: the very British obsession with beach huts
It may be an unassuming little shelter, but the beach hut tells of a British infatuation with property and propriety
An architectural frieze is the icing on the cake, for a building
They’re the classic way to embellish a building – and for all their suspicion of ornament, even modern architects went in for them
A threatened mural in Oldham illuminates a key moment in British art
George Mayer-Marton was an accomplished, influential émigré artist – and his Crucifixion for the Church of the Holy Rosary in Oldham must be protected
Points of contact – a short history of door handles
Door handles can be the first and only part of a building we touch, but their design is all too often an afterthought
‘The most humane, most incisive and most readable writer on architecture of the modern age’ – a tribute to Michael Sorkin
The critic and architect fervently believed that architecture should promote social justice
‘If James Wines’ greatest works were still around, they would be Instagram sensations’
Perhaps it’s time to catch up with the sculptor-turned-architect who has always been ahead of the pack
From schools to cigar shops – the eclectic vision of Henry van de Velde
The Belgian painter-turned-designer was a prominent figure in the early history of modernism – although his precise role is not so easy to pin down
The variety, delicacy and wit of Lina Bo Bardi
In her drawings as in her architecture, the Italian-born Brazilian modernist was ‘radical and magical’
The most influential and most detested architect of the modern age
Philip Johnson was not the most talented modern American architect, but he was certainly the most important
Schip shape – the infectiously bizarre style of the Amsterdam School
Het Schip and other buildings of this early 20th-century movement are both hyper-modern and curiously medieval
The modern architect who gave Budapest a taste of the future
Béla Lajta was one of the most innovative architects of the early 20th century
The business of luxury in modern Vienna
The Wiener Werkstätte was a commercial flop, but its designs still embody the spirit of Viennese modernism
Where will London’s artists work?
As London’s former industrial areas are being redeveloped, artists are running out of affordable studio space. Can a city be a thriving cultural centre if its artists have nowhere to work?
It’s time for the government of London to return to its rightful home
Norman Foster’s City Hall has been denied listed status a second time. But the more important question is: when will the capital be run from County Hall again?