Jim Olson’s New Monograph Features Overview of Fifty‑Year Career
2018/02/15
Spanning five decades of architecture that sensitively responds to its environment, Jim Olson’s new monograph Jim Olson: Building. Nature. Art is the most comprehensive survey of Olson’s work to date. The fourth of Olson’s monographs, the new book features a broad range of buildings across the globe, from the Pacific Northwest to Mexico, Asia and beyond – all united by Olson’s commitment to architecture that complements its environment to create an integrated whole.
The monograph begins with an extended essay by architectural critic and curator Aaron Betsky, who considers the relationship between Olson’s natural surroundings, his love of art and his design process over the course of his career. This is followed by a selection of twenty-five recent projects, including houses, commercial buildings, museums and furniture designs, presented through photography alongside Olson’s original sketches and watercolor plans. Throughout the book, thematic texts by Olson on art, nature, light, space and global architecture offer Olson’s reflections on the creative process. The final reference section is an illustrated chronology of Olson’s entire corpus.
Jim Olson: Building. Nature. Art is available for purchase through Thames & Hudson and Peter Miller Books.
This book is very special to me because it illustrates the philosophy I have been refining for over fifty years – one of integrating nature, architecture, furnishings and art into a unified whole.Jim Olson, FAIA