In Defense of Brutalism: An Architecture for People NEW

“Brutalist architecture was Modernism's angry underside, and was never...a mere aesthetic style. It was a political aesthetic, an attitude, a weapon, dedicated to the precept that nothing was too good for ordinary people."? Owen Hatherley

The recent hit film, "The Brutalist" (2024) about a Modernist architect and Holocaust survivor in Manhattan after World War II who struggles to stay true to his ideals, has renewed attention to his beloved architectural style. But Brutalist buildings have always been, and remain, highly controversial, with their slabs of raw, exposed concrete and steel, their bold, monumental forms, use of blocky, geometric shapes, and focus on function.

Laszlo Kiss, an internationally known architect, will take us through five buildings designed by master Brutalists, including Marcel Breuer, Peter and Alison Smithson and Le Corbusier, highlighting their innovations and explaining the interplay between the architects' aesthetic and philosophical choices. If you hate Brutalism, this class may bring you to a whole new appreciation for it. If you love Brutalism, you will leave with a deeper understanding.