The Edifice Complex: How the Rich and Powerful Shape the World

by Deyan Sudjic

Hardcover, 2005

Status

Available

Publication

New York : Penguin Press, 2005.

Description

An exploration of the intimate and inextricable relationship between architecture, power, money and politics in the twentieth century. How and why have presidents, prime ministers, mayors, millionaires and bishops come to share such a fascination with architecture? From Blair to Mitterrand, from Hitler to Stalin to Saddam Hussein, architecture has become an end in itself, as well as a means to an end. This is a book of genuine timeliness, throwing new light on the aspirations and the motivations of the rich and powerful across the world - and on the political nature of contemporary culture.

User reviews

LibraryThing member jftouma
Well written & entertaining, even for those not architecturally inclined. It is fun to look up the different buildings and projects in Google Images and see what Deyan Sudjik is talking about. He travels around the world and in different regimes to illustrate the not so subtle relationship between
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architecture and power.
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LibraryThing member HadriantheBlind
Extremely interesting premise - architecture as expression of and means of demonstrating power. Analyzes a wide range of colorful, megalomaniacal figures. I had to refer to google to find pictures of some of the relevant buildings, but aside from that, a very well-done book.

Language

Barcode

8244
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