Romantic Modernist: The Life and Work of Norman Jaffe, Architect Book

Early one day in the summer of 1993, the famously prolific architect Norman Jaffe went for a swim at the beach in Bridgehampton, New York, leaving his clothes in a neat little pile on the sand, as he did almost every morning. But this particular morning, he never returned. With his disappearance, he left behind many unanswered questions--not only about the cause of his death, but about the nature of his architectural legacy. Romantic Modernist: The Life and Work of Norman Jaffe, Architect is the first book to explore Jaffe?s body of work and the inner struggle that shaped his life. Although he was described by Men?s Bazaar magazine as the "Man with an Image" when he posed for a fashion spread in the late 1960s, he was much more than that. A magnetic, free-spirited individual, he approached his work with a sense of passion that was all but unrivaled in the world of architecture. Over the course of his career, he established himself as an innovator in solar and urban design, but he is best known for his strikingly sculptural houses in the Hamptons, from small hideaways to sprawling estates, to which he brought an almost mystical vision: with the perfect balance of light and shadow and the right proportions and materials, he was convinced, houses could provide what he described as "dreamlike, romantic journeys" that offered an opportunity for self-discovery. Through interviews with Jaffe?s closest friends and associates, as well as exhaustive archival research, critic Alastair Gordon traces Jaffe?s career trajectory from his early years on the West Coast through his increasingly celebrated life in New York and his premature, unexplained death. Hundreds of original drawings and color photographs illustrate Jaffe?s riveting story, offering a rare look at this charismatic figure whose life was as interesting as the work he produced.Read More