Robert Venturi
Robert Venturi was a prominent American architect, educator, and author known for his influential role in the development of post-modern architecture. Born on June 25, 1925, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he pursued his education at Princeton University, where he earned both a bachelor's and a master's degree in fine arts. Venturi's early career included working with notable architects like Eero Saarinen and Louis Kahn before establishing his own firm in 1958, which later became Venturi, Scott Brown & Associates with his wife, Denise Scott Brown.
His groundbreaking work includes the Vanna Venturi House, recognized as a seminal post-modern structure, and various art museums and public buildings that reflect the cultural context of their locations. Venturi's writing, particularly "Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture," challenged conventional architectural norms and emphasized the significance of everyday structures in urban settings. He was awarded the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1991, acknowledging his impact on the field. Venturi passed away on September 18, 2018, leaving behind a legacy that continues to influence architects worldwide. His life and work are explored in the documentary "Stardust," released in 2024.
Robert Venturi
Architect
- Born: June 25, 1925
- Place of Birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Died: September 18, 2018
- Place of Death: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Education: Princeton University; American Academy in Rome
Significance:Robert Venturi was one of the most influential figures in American architecture. He was known for his designs as well as for teaching and writing about architecture.
Background
Robert Venturi was born on June 25, 1925, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Robert Venturi, Sr. and Vanna Luizi, who raised their son as a Quaker. He attended the Episcopal Academy in Merion, Pennsylvania, for which he would later design a chapel, before pursuing an undergraduate degree at Princeton University. From Princeton, he received a bachelor’s degree in 1947 and a master’s degree in fine arts in 1950. Between 1954 and 1956, Venturi studied at the American Academy in Rome as a Rome Prize Fellow.
Upon his return to the United States, Venturi began teaching, first at the University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture and then at a number of other institutions, including the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as Yale, Princeton, Harvard, and Rice Universities. He has also taught at the American Academy in Rome.
Early in his career, Venturi worked with architects Eero Saarinen (1910–1961) and Louis I. Kahn (1901–1974) before opening his own firm in 1958. Several years later in 1964, John Rauch (1930– ) joined Venturi as a partner. In 1967, Venturi married another architect, Denise Scott Brown (1931– ) who also joined the firm, which became known as Venturi, Scott Brown & Associates.
Life’s Work
One of Venturi’s earliest projects was to design a home for his mother, Vanna. Venturi began designing the home in 1959, and construction took place from 1962–1964. The Vanna Venturi Home in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia was immediately recognized as the first post-modern structure and an example of the complex and contradictory style Venturi favored. The home, which was put on the market for $1.75 million in 2015 after its second owner died, won the American Institute of Architecture’s Twenty-five Year Award in 1989 and was later called one of the ten buildings that changed America by the Public Broadcasting Corporation (PBS).
After this, Venturi designed a number of other noteworthy structures, including a high-rise apartment for seniors in Philadelphia known as Guild House (1964) and a number of art museums, including the Allen Memorial Art Museum (1976) in Oberlin, Ohio, and museums in Seattle (1991), San Diego (1996), Houston (1992), Austin (1997), Allentown (2012), and Philadelphia (1976 and 1997). In 1996, Venturi also created designs for Disney World, the Philadelphia Zoo, and Philadelphia’s Independence Mall and Visitor Gateway. In addition, Venturi was commissioned by his alma maters, the Episcopal Academy (2008) and Princeton University (1983–2000).
In addition to designing structures and teaching, Venturi has published books and essays about architecture. These include Architecture as Signs and Systems: for a Mannerist Time (2004), coauthored with his wife, Scott Brown, Iconography and Electronics Upon a Generic Architecture, A View from the Drafting Room (1996), and A View from the Campidoglio: Selected Essays (1953 – 1984), also coauthored with Scott Brown.
Venturi’s Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture (1966), written for architects, made the famous statement, "Is not Main Street almost all right?" In the book, Venturi urged architects to consider the complexity of the new urban cities and the context in which their buildings would be set.
In Learning from Las Vegas (1972), Venturi again described how the change to an urban lifestyle was affecting architecture and continued to expound on the theory that everyday buildings on any Main Street also had value to architecture, including the often gaudy advertising signs in Las Vegas. Venturi was one of the first to suggest that such signs and the electronics that drove them would someday be a vital part of architecture.
Throughout his career, Venturi’s work encompassed a variety of styles. Unlike some architects who develop a distinct trademark style that makes their buildings instantly recognizable, Venturi incorporated the building’s function and the unexpected into his works. For example, a bank designed in 1996 to sit on a corner boasts rounded edges with colorful stripes wrapped between the first- and second-floor windows that give the building a somewhat playful, retro look. While the design is atypical for a bank, it blends in with its location. Venturi retired from his firm in 2012. The firm was subsequently renamed VSBA.
Impact
The firm Venturi created in 1958 had completed more than four hundred designs by the time of his retirement, most often incorporating design elements that reflect the culture of the building’s location. However, it was his theories about architecture that garnered him the most attention, including the concept that complexity and contraction are important elements in architectural design. Venturi was considered a pioneer in post-modernistic architecture and inspired the generations of architects who followed him. Venturi received many awards including the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1991.
Personal
Venturi was both a professional partner and a life partner to his wife, fellow architect Denise Scott Brown, whom he married in 1967. The couple had one son, James. They took up permanent residence in Philadelphia after Venturi's retirement. On September 18, 2018, Venturi died at the age of ninety-three from complications of Alzheimer's disease.
In 2024, Venturi and Brown's son, James, released a documentary of his parents' lives and work. The film, Stardust: The Story of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, was a collaboration between the younger Venturi and writer Anita Naughton. It includes videos of his parents talking about their work, and Venturi and Naughton hope to create two more documentaries featuring just one parent each. Stardust premiered in late September 2024 at the Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF) before being released in theaters nationwide.
Bibliography
"10 Buildings that Changed America: #9, Vanna Venturi House, Philadelphia." Public Broadcasting Service,n.d. Web. 25 June 2016.
Bernstein, Fred A. "Robert Venturi, Architect Who Rejected Modernism, Dies at 93." The New York Times, 19 Sept. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/09/19/obituaries/robert-venturi-dead.html. Accessed 22 July 2019.
Goldberger, Paul. "A Fond Farewell to Robert Venturi, the Architect Who Taught Us to Stop Worrying and Love Las Vegas." Vanity Fair,Aug. 2012. Web. 25 June 2016.
Jennings, James. " Jaw Dropper of the Year: The Vanna Venturi House Is On The Market." Philadelphia Magazine. July 2015. Web. 25 June 2016.
"Out of the Ordinary: The Architecture and Design of Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown and Associates." ArcSpace.com, Nov. 2002. Web. 25 June 2016.
Perez, Adelyn. "AD Classics: Vanna Venturi House / Robert Venturi." ArchDaily, June 2010. Web. 25 June 2016.
"Robert Venturi." VenturiScottBrown Official Website,n.d. Web 25 June 2016.
"Robert Venturi Biography." Pritzker Architecture Prize, 1991. Web. 25 June 2016.
Roche, Daniel J. "AN speaks with Jim Venturi and Anita Naughton, filmmakers of Stardust: The Story of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown." Architects News, 24 Sept. 2024, www.archpaper.com/2024/09/an-jim-venturi-anita-naughton-stardust-robert-venturi-denise-scott-brown/. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Stott, Rory. "Spotlight: Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown," Arch Daily News, June 2016. Web. 25 June 2016.