Frank Lloyd Wright: The Architecture of Defiance

(Hardback)

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The historic Welsh origins of the architects creative defiance.

The father of modern architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright learned his defiant creativity from the radical politics and work ethic of his Welsh family. Throughout his career, Wright strongly resisted the idea that his accomplishments owed anything to earthly influences. As much as he wanted his achievements recognized, he wanted them to be unaccountable, but according to Jonathan Adams, they are not. Drawing on new discoveries about the architects upbringing, this book reveals how Wrights mother and many aunts and uncles raised him with a reverence for the fierce radicalism of their Welsh ancestors. Presenting a new perspective on a renowned creative, Jonathan Adams reveals how the culture, faith, and philosophy of Wales shaped Wright into the visionary he became.

Reviews

"This ground-breaking study brilliantly illuminates the important Welsh dimensions of Wright's life and work. The dramatic disclosures about his mother radically reorientate our understanding of his gifts and accomplishments."
--Professor M. Wynn Thomas, FBA, FLSW, Professor of English and Emyr Humphreys Professor of Welsh Writing in English, Swansea University

Author Bio

Jonathan Adams served as president of the Royal Society of Architects in Wales and is a fellow of the Learned Society of Wales. He is cowriter of the documentary Frank Lloyd Wright: The Man Who Built America.