Romanticism to Ruin: Two Lost Works of Sullivan and Wright, Wrightwood 659's fall exhibition, opens Sept. 24.
The great American architects Louis H. Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright had rare gifts for engaging the human senses and emotions through the power of space, color, light, and motion. This is why even their demolished work still resonates. Romanticism to Ruin evokes the essence of two of these architects' long-gone masterpieces: Sullivan's Garrick Theatre, in Chicago, which stood for only sixty-nine years, and Wright's unprecedented Larkin Building, in Buffalo, which stood for only forty-four. On view September 24 - November 27, Romanticism to Ruin illuminates these two buildings and their fates through two distinct presentationsReconstructing the Garrick: Adler & Sullivan's Lost Masterpiece and Reimagining the Larkin: Frank Lloyd Wright's Modern Icon.
Reconstructing the Garrick, curated by the noted Chicago architect and historic preservationist John Vinci with Tim Samuelson, Chris Ware, and Eric Nordstrom explores the life and death of the building, including its design, uses, and tragic demolition, and sheds a light on the then-nascent preservation movement.
Reimagining the Larkin: Frank Lloyd Wright's Modern Icon, curated by Jonathan D. Katz reveals the marriage between arts and crafts ideologies and new technologies as epitomized by the relationship between the forward-thinking Wright and the forward-thinking Larkin Company in the design of the Larkin Headquarters building of 1906.
Accompanying the Romanticism to Ruin exhibition is a companion catalog Reconstructing the Garrick, Adler & Sullivan's Lost Masterpiece. This comprehensive and lavishly illustrated volume is a compelling tribute to one of Chicago's finest lost buildings. It documents the enormous salvaging job undertaken to preserve the building's design, presenting the full life story of the Garrick while featuring historic and architectural photographs, essays, interviews, drawings, ephemera from its lively history, and details of its remarkable ornamentation. Edited by John Vinci with contributions from Tim Samuelson, Eric Nordstrom, Chris Ware, and others.
Admission to the exhibition is free when you include the purchase of the catalog with your online reservation.
Tickets are now available at tickets.wrightwood659.org/events .