New York Deco

New York: Welcome Books, 2005. First Edition [stated], presumed first printing. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. Richard Berenholtz. The format is approximately 8.75 inches by 8.75 inches. Illustrated dust jacket. Illustrated covers. Illustrations (color). Introduction by Carol Willis. Fourth generation New Yorker, Richard Berenholtz, has become widely recognized for his architectural and landscape photographs of New York City. An architect with a degree from Colombia University, Richard has five books of photography on the architecture of New York City: Inside New York, Panoramic New York, Manhattan Architecture, New York New York, and most recently, New York Architecture. Born in Queens, he and has lived much of his life on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, thus obtaining an inherent understanding of the city and its many forms. For the past 20 years, Richard has been photographing the City, both inside and out. Before becoming a full time photographer in the early 80's, he was an established architect for ten years. Once Richard enrolled in Architecture school, he purchased his first camera to photograph the buildings he would study. He began photographing in black and white, and, while still an architect, had three one man shows in New York City. Upon switching from architecture to commercial photography, the need for black and white work diminished. Richard is a very successful photographer, enjoying the recognition from his high profile books. His assignments carry him all over the world: Casinos in Las Vegas, vineyards in France, and across the United States to photograph homes for construction industry client, to name just a few of his many endeavors. Carol Willis is the founder, director, and curator of the Skyscraper Museum. She is also adjunct associate professor of Urban Studies at Columbia University. Herbert Muschamp described Willis in The New York Times as the "woman who created the Skyscraper Museum in 1996 from nothing but her imagination, her passion for New York architecture, and her belief in the importance of history and the value of the public realm." Willis graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Boston University (B.A Art History, 1971.) She studied architectural history at Columbia University in the Department of Art History and Archaeology (M.A., 1976, M.Phil.,1979.) Willis is the author of Form Follows Finance: Skyscrapers and Skylines in New York and Chicago. The book received an AIA book award and the "Best Book on North American Urbanism" in 1995 by the Urban History Association. New York calls to mind many things: the Chrysler Building with its innovative design and sunburst pattern, the Empire State building with its amazing views and dominating size, Rockefeller Center seamlessly merging commerce and art. Each of these cherished pieces of New York were created during one of the cities most stylish and dazzling decades: the 1920s and 30s. New York Deco profiles this magnificent period of creativity in architecture when art deco thrived with its emphasis on machine-tooled elegance and sleek lines. Many of the New York City landmarks were born of this age, as well as dozens of lesser-known office buildings and apartment houses. Together, they make the skyline of the Big Apple what it is today. Richard Berenholtz's extraordinary and voluptuous photographs have offered the best of New York in the large scale New York New York and Panoramic New York and now brilliantly highlight the finest examples of NYC's art deco architecture. Berenholtz's photography is accompanied by text from writers, artists, and personalities of the era, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dorothy Parker, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Ogden Nash, and Frank Lloyd Wright to create a wonderful celebration of the era. A perfect gift for the New Yorker and tourist alike, this gem of a book is a window into one of city's most divine periods.