The founder of Olson Kundig, Jim Olson has explored the aesthetic interplay of art, nature, and architecture for over sixty years. His career is marked by significant projects throughout the Pacific Northwest and around the world, worldwide publication and speaking engagements, and several exhibitions of his designs, including a traveling retrospective. Under his leadership, Olson Kundig has evolved to become a multi-disciplinary practice, globally renowned for its design and craft.
Architecture should fit into its context in a way that makes a better whole.
Jim Olson
Principal / Founder | FAIA
Jim Olson: Building • Nature • Art
Thames & Hudson | 2018/05
...
Jim Olson: Art in Architecture
Whatcom Museum | 2013/03
For over five decades, Seattle architect Jim Olson has cultivated an international following through his exploration of the relationships between art, architecture, and nature. Best known for his residences for art collectors, Olson’s attention to craft and the experience of space have led to this global appeal. Drawing upon Olson’s years of practice, Jim Olson: Art in Architecture reveals his many sources of inspiration and how the power of material and sensorial exploration have shaped his approach to design. Through journal sketches, personal observations, and images of built projects ranging from his own intimate cabin in Washington State to grand residences around the world, the reader gains deep insight into Olson’s architecture and its artistry. Essay by Ted Loos Published by Whatcom Museum
Jim Olson: Houses
The Monacelli Press | 2009/11
When architect Jim Olson designs a home, his distinctive aesthetic, elegant and understated, comes into play.
Art + Architecture: The Ebsworth Collection + Residence
William K. Stout | 2002/06
Art and architecture combined, and so did fine book making, resulting in this abundantly illustrated “walk-through” of the Seattle home of Barney A. Ebsworth, who is a major collector of modern American art. The design of his home demanded a special merging of the creativity of client and architect. The full-page color photos tell much of how the artworks fit the architecture, and vice versa. Essays written by National Gallery of Art scholars, abridged from Twentieth-Century American Art: The Ebsworth Collection, tell about the individual works of art, including pieces by Hockney, Warhol, Johns, Calder, Hopper and Gorky, among others. Edited by Dung Ngo Published by William K. Stout
Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects: Architecture, Art, and Craft
The Monacelli Press | 2003/01
Over 35 years, Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects created a body of architecture recognized for its ability to merge notions of materiality, craft and lightness, all of which are richly demonstrated in their work on art collectors’ residences and art museums. The firm began its creative existence with architect Jim Olson, whose work in the late 1960s explored the complex relationship between dwellings and the landscape they inhabit. In the early 1970s the growing firm broadened its emphasis to include urbanism and the landscape of the city. Though firmly rooted in the regional features of the Pacific Northwest—its unique climate and dramatic landscape—the firm’s work extends beyond any regionalist classification. Instead, their projects are characterized by a relaxed modernism that is attuned to its regional context. Each of the projects featured in this volume exhibit a striking use of both natural and highly refined materials, masterful modulation of light, a careful balance between monumentality and intimacy, and frequent collaborations with artists and craftsmen, especially glass artists such as Ed Carpenter. Essay by Paul Goldberger Published by The Monacelli Press
Education
Master of Architecture, University of Washington