When Postmodern Architecture first rose to prominence at the end of the 1970s and 80s, the sputtering indignation of the modernist establishment was heard loud and clear. PoMo was declared flippant and frivolous, it broke all the architectural ‘rules’ in its reckless embrace of colour and decoration. And as for the dumpster-diving through archaic historicist features, the less said the better. Yet many ignored the critics and persisted with this seemingly perverse path. ‘Postmodern Architecture: Less is a Bore’ shows us why we should be grateful that they did.
Written by historian and curator Owen Hopkins (currently at Sir John Soane’s Museum in London), ‘Less is Bore’ presents the heavy hitters of the movement and a strong selection of buildings erected over solid intellectual foundations. The significant names include the American cadre headed up by Michael Graves, Robert Stern, and Venturi Scott Brown, but there also examples from all over the world, including James Stirling, Terry Farrell and John Outram in the UK, the playful form-making of early Gehry, FAT and Site, or the serious place-making of Aldo Rossi and Mario Botta.
Soeters van Eldonk Architecten: Piramides, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2006.
Postmodernism’s giddy eclectism shines through. Although the featured buildings aren’t underpinned by a single manifesto, they all demonstrate a shared ethos, with architecture treated as a spiritual balm and decoration and colour used to impose a more human scale.
Admittedly, the reasons for the style’s modern revival are largely aesthetic; just as Brutalism enjoyed a social media upswing thanks to the photogenic properties of angular concrete, so the pastel hues and bold shapes of PoMo have found favour amongst the Insta generation. ‘Less is a Bore’ (Robert Venturi’s spirited rejoinder to Mies’s pious prononoucement) is a welcome catalogue of a more innocent world, back when a building’s image meant a lot more than its suitability for mass reproduction.
WAM Architecten: Hotel Zaandam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2010.
Frank Gehry and Claes Oldenburg: Chiat/Day Building, Los Angeles, California, 1991.
Tomi Ungerer and Ayla Suzan Yöndel: Kindergarten Wolfartsweier, Karlsruhe, Germany, 2002.
Jurgen Mayer H, Workac, Clavel Arquitectos, Nicolas Buffe, and K/R: Museum Garage, Miami, Florida, USA, 2018.
FAT and Grayson Perry: A House for Essex, Manningtree, Essex, England, UK, 2015.
Helmut Jahn: State of Illinois Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA, 1985.
Charles Moore: Moore House, Austin, Texas, USA, 1984.
John Outram: Duncan Hall, Rice University, Houston, Texas, USA, 1996.
CZWG Architects: China Wharf, Bermondsey, London, England, UK, 1988.
INFORMATION
Postmodern Architecture: Less is a Bore, by Owen Hopkins, published by Phaidon, £29.95, phaidon.com
-
Luc Tuymans debuts his largest ever paintings at Venice’s majestic San Giorgio Maggiore BasilicaLuc Tuymans is the latest artist to be commissioned by San Giorgio to present work inside its famous space
-
A Brazil office makes the most of its tropical locationWe tour of a new Brazil office engulfed in greenery – welcome to Gabriel Faria Lima Corporate by Perkins & Will
-
Bon appétit! These are the best restaurants in ParisExperience haute cuisine at the best restaurants Paris has to offer, from a vegetable-centric menu at Arpège to alchemical cuisine at Plénitude
-
Modernist Travel Guide: a handy companion to explore modernism across the globe‘Modernist Travel Guide’, a handy new pocket-sized book for travel lovers and modernist architecture fans, comes courtesy of Wallpaper* contributor Adam Štěch and his passion for modernism
-
Wild sauna, anyone? The ultimate guide to exploring deep heat in the UK outdoors‘Wild Sauna’, a new book exploring the finest outdoor establishments for the ultimate deep-heat experience in the UK, has hit the shelves; we find out more about the growing trend
-
Ten contemporary homes that are pushing the boundaries of architectureA new book detailing 59 visually intriguing and technologically impressive contemporary houses shines a light on how architecture is evolving
-
Take a deep dive into The Palm Springs School ahead of the region’s Modernism WeekNew book ‘The Palm Springs School: Desert Modernism 1934-1975’ is the ultimate guide to exploring the midcentury gems of California, during Palm Springs Modernism Week 2025 and beyond
-
Meet Minnette de Silva, the trailblazing Sri Lankan modernist architectSri Lankan architect Minnette de Silva is celebrated in a new book by author Anooradha Iyer Siddiq, who looks into the modernist's work at the intersection of ecology, heritage and craftsmanship
-
'Tropicality' explored in Indonesian architect Andra Matin’s first monograph'Tropicality' is a key theme in a new book on Indonesian architect Andra Matin, whose work blends landscape, architecture and living
-
‘A Time ⋅ A Place’ is a lovingly compiled photographic portrait of cars and architecture‘A Time ⋅ A Place’ is a celebration of the European Car of the Year and changing perceptions of modern design, pairing the best buildings of the age with their automotive contemporaries
-
Álvaro Siza’s new monograph through the lens of Duccio Malagamba is impactful and immersiveÁlvaro Siza and photographer Duccio Malagamba collaborate on a new monograph by Phaidon; ‘Before / After: Álvaro Siza Duccio Malagamba’ celebrates the Portuguese architect's work
