Brutalism
Description
Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are known for minimalist construction showcasing the bare building materials and structural elements over decorative design. The style commonly makes use of exposed, unpainted concrete or brick, angular geometric shapes and a predominantly monochrome colour palette; other materials, such as steel, timber, and glass, are also featured. Read more ↗
Key Artists
Alison Smithson
Co-founder and pioneering theorist of New Brutalism alongside Peter Smithson who championed raw structural honesty and 'as found' industrial materials.
Peter Smithson
Co-founder of New Brutalism who designed Hunstanton School and Robin Hood Gardens, establishing the aesthetic and ethical foundations of raw concrete and brick architecture.
Denys Lasdun
Leading British Brutalist architect whose sculptural concrete masterpieces, including the Royal National Theatre and the University of East Anglia, defined the heroic modern period.
Ernő Goldfinger
Hungarian-born British modernist and key figure in social housing Brutalism who designed iconic monumental towers like Trellick Tower and Balfron Tower.
Paul Rudolph
American Brutalist master and chair of Yale's Department of Architecture renowned for his dramatic, corrugated concrete structures like the Yale Art and Architecture Building.
Moshe Safdie
Israeli-Canadian architect who achieved global renown with Habitat 67, merging Brutalist raw concrete aesthetics with revolutionary modular prefabricated housing.
Famous Artworks
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Fun Facts
Although the term 'Brutalism' is closely associated with British architects Alison and Peter Smithson and the French phrase 'béton brut' (raw concrete), the exact word originated in 1950 from a facetious remark by Swedish architect Hans Asplund, who described the modern brick Villa Göth in Uppsala as 'nybrutalism' (new brutalism).
↗ Source: en.wikipedia.org
When the Royal National Theatre in London opened in 1976, King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) famously disparaged Denys Lasdun's raw concrete building, comparing it to 'a clever way of building a nuclear power station in the middle of London without anyone objecting.'
↗ Source: en.wikipedia.org