Gene Summers

The first presentation of Gene Summers' architectural and artistic achievements. The teachings of Mies van der Rohe and his respect for the effects of space and material has had a great influence on the American architect and artist Gene Summers. Thanks to the technology of the day and Summers' own creative talents, he was able to help transform Mies' visions into built structures. For 16 years Gene Summers was a close colleague of Mies, heading his office and working with him on many projects including the Seagram Building in New York, Bacardi's office buildings in Cuba and Mexico, and Krupps' offices in Essen. Also working independently. Summers created projects for C.F Murphy Assoc. such as the McCormick Convention Centre and the Malcolm X College in Chicago. Later with Ridgway Ltd. he was responsible for the the acclaimed restoration of the Biltmore Hotels in Los Angeles and the Canada Business Center (Orange Country, Canada). Familiar with bronze as a building material, Summers used this knowledge to design elegant furniture and household objects before devoting himself entirely to this area of art. This volume is the first presentation of Gene Summers' architectural and artistic work, surveying the many areas which include wood and water colours where he was active. Phyllis Lambert, founder and architect of the Canadian Centre for Architecture, and President of the International Confederation of Architectural Museums, provides an enlightening introduction to his work.