The prospect of retirement doesn’t just signal the end of a career; it offers the chance to recalibrate and re-prioritize in life.
Lebbeus Woods: Architect at SFMoMA
February 21, 2013
Architect and artist Lebbeus Woods died late last year, leaving behind him a legacy of very few buildings, but a new vision of what architecture can and should be. His illustrations and sculptures, though they evoke a kind of post-apocalyptic fantasy land, were grounded in the kinds of upheaval (seismic, cultural, bellicose) that we experience every day. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has been an avid collector of Woods's work since the 1990s, and this week it mounted the show Lebbeus Woods Architect to celebrate the career of an architect and teacher who truly challenged not just what it is that we should build, but what it means to be an architect all together. Click through our slideshow to see Woods's strange world of the unbuilt.
Lebbeus Woods, Einstein Tomb, 1980; aluminum; Courtesy Aleksandra Wagner; © Estate of Lebbeus Woods
Lebbeus Woods, Meta-Institute, 1996; chipboard, wood, paper; Courtesy Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art (MAK); © Estate of Lebbeus Woods; photo: © Wolfgang Woessner/MAK
Lebbeus Woods, San Francisco Project: Inhabiting the Quake, Quake City, 1995; graphite and pastel on paper; 14 1/2 in. x 23 in. x 3/4 in. (36.83 cm x 58.42 cm x 1.91 cm); Collection SFMOMA, Accessions Committee Fund purchase; © Estate of Lebbeus Woods
Lebbeus Woods, Untitled, sketch for the series Nine Reconstructed Boxes, 1999; ink on paper; 8.5 inches by 11 inches; Collection SFMoMA.
Lebbeus Woods, Nine Reconstructed Boxes, 1999; plastic models and ten sketches; 11 in. x 8 1/2 in. (27.94 cm x 21.59 cm); Collection SFMOMA, Accessions Committee Fund purchase; © Estate of Lebbeus Woods; Photo: Ben Blackwell
Lebbeus Woods, Conflict Space 4, 2006; crayon and acrylic on linen; 74 x 120 in. (187.96 x 304.8 cm); Collection SFMOMA, purchase through a gift of anonymous donors and the Accessions Committee Fund; © Estate of Lebbeus Woods
Lebbeus Woods, Unified Urban Field, from the series Centricity [no. 37], 1987; graphite on paper; 24 in. x 23 in. (60.96 cm x 58.42 cm); Collection SFMOMA, purchase through a gift of Ned and Catherine Topham and the Accessions Committee Fund; © Estate of Lebbeus Woods
Lebbeus Woods, Photon Kite, from the series Centricity, 1988; graphite on paper; 24 in. x 22 in. (60.96 cm x 55.88 cm); Collection SFMOMA, purchase through a gift of the Members of the Architecture + Design Forum, SFMOMA Architecture and Design Accessions Committee, and the architecture and design community in honor of Aaron Betsky, Curator of Architecture, Design and Digital Projects, 1995–2001; © Estate of Lebbeus Woods
Lebbeus Woods, Concentric Field, from the series Centricity, 1987; graphite on paper; 23 in. x 24 in. (58.42 cm x 60.96 cm); Collection SFMOMA, purchase through a gift of the Members of the Architecture + Design Forum, SFMOMA Architecture and Design Accessions Committee, and the architecture and design community in honor of Aaron Betsky, Curator of Architecture, Design and Digital Projects, 1995–2001; © Estate of Lebbeus Wood
Latest Articles
You don’t have to choose between sustainable energy and curb appeal.
July 19, 2016
Each week, we tap into Dwell's Instagram community to bring you the most captivating design and architecture shots of the week.
July 06, 2016
Each week, we tap into Dwell's Instagram community to bring you the most captivating design and architecture shots of the week.
June 29, 2016
Docomomo US announces the winners of this year's Modernism in America Awards. Each project showcases exemplary modern restoration techniques, practices, and ideas.
June 27, 2016
After last year’s collaboration, we were excited to team up with Monogram again for the 2016 Monogram Modern Home Tour.
June 27, 2016
A strategic rewire enhances a spec house’s gut renovation.
June 26, 2016
Coralie Gourguechon's paper objects will make you see technology in a whole new way.
June 26, 2016
Smart technology helps a house in Aspen, Colorado, stay on its sustainable course.
June 25, 2016
The aesthetic appeal of personal electronics has long fueled consumer interest. A new industrial design book celebrates devices that broke the mold.
June 25, 2016
An angled deck transforms a backyard in Menlo Park, California, into a welcoming gathering spot.
June 24, 2016
Today, we kicked off this year’s annual Dwell on Design at the LA Convention Center, which will continue through Sunday, June 26th. Though we’ve been hosting this extensive event for years, this time around is particularly special.
June 24, 2016
Two designers restore a low-slung midcentury gem in Napa, California, by an unsung Bay Area modernist.
June 24, 2016
San Francisco–based designer Maca Huneeus created her family’s weekend retreat near Lake Tahoe with a relaxed, sophisticated sensibility.
June 24, 2016
A Toronto couple remodel their home with a special emphasis on a spacious kitchen and a material-rich bathroom.
June 24, 2016
In Kansas City, an architecture studio designs an adaptable house for a musician on a budget.
June 23, 2016
By straightening angles, installing windows, and adding vertical accents, architect Aaron Ritenour brought light and order to an irregularly shaped apartment in the heart of Athens, Greece.
June 23, 2016
A modest kitchen addition to a couple’s cottage outside of Brisbane proves that one 376-square-foot room can revive an entire home.
June 23, 2016
Each week, we tap into Dwell's Instagram community to bring you the most captivating design and architecture shots of the week.
June 22, 2016
A modern dwelling replaces a fallen farmhouse.
June 22, 2016
Seeking an escape from bustling city life, a Manhattan couple embarks on a renovation in the verdant Hudson Valley.
June 22, 2016
Atelier Moderno renovated an old industrial building to create a luminous, modern home.
June 21, 2016
Anchored in a small San Francisco canal, this floating home takes its cues from a classic city habitat.
June 21, 2016
From the bones of a neglected farmstead in rural Scotland emerges a low-impact, solar-powered home that’s all about working with what was already there.
June 21, 2016
An architect with a taste for unconventional living spaces creates a small house at lofty heights with a starring view.
June 21, 2016
Marjan Van Aubel makes technology a little more natural.
June 21, 2016
Building on the site of a former one-car garage, an architect creates his family’s home in an evolving neighborhood of Brooklyn.
June 20, 2016
In a Brooklyn backyard, an off-duty architect builds a structure that tests his attention to the little things.
June 20, 2016
In the suburbs of Paris, an architect with an eco-friendly practice doesn’t let tradition stand in the way of innovation.
June 20, 2016
Join the Discussion