Description

A critical edition of German architect Gottfried Semper's writings from London.

Gottfried Semper left behind a voluminous legacy of writings on the theory of architecture. The manner through which Semper analyzed architecture from a cultural-historical perspective as the key discipline in human artistry continues to rouse deep fascination. London Writings makes available previously unpublished or little-known texts that originate from Semper's exile in London from 1850 to 1855 in a critical and commentated edition. Deeply impressed by the first Great Exhibition of 1851, it was in London that Semper laid the foundations for his theoretical magnum opus Der Stil. This work includes Semper's theories regarding the global development of architectural culture in its manifold material, social and political conditions.