Blending cultural and architectural history, Fire Island Modernist ponders a fascinating era of gay culture through an overlooked 1960s architect As the 1960s became The Sixties, architect Horace Gifford executed a remarkable series of beach houses that transformed the terrain and culture of New York's Fire Island. Growing up on the beaches of Florida, Gifford forged a deep connection with coastal landscapes. Pairing this sensitivity with jazzy improvisations on modernist themes, he perfected a sustainable modernism in ...
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Blending cultural and architectural history, Fire Island Modernist ponders a fascinating era of gay culture through an overlooked 1960s architect As the 1960s became The Sixties, architect Horace Gifford executed a remarkable series of beach houses that transformed the terrain and culture of New York's Fire Island. Growing up on the beaches of Florida, Gifford forged a deep connection with coastal landscapes. Pairing this sensitivity with jazzy improvisations on modernist themes, he perfected a sustainable modernism in cedar and glass that was as attuned to natural landscapes as to our animal natures. Gifford's serene 1960s pavilions provided refuge from a hostile world, while his exuberant post-Stonewall, pre-AIDS masterpieces orchestrated bacchanals of liberation. Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift once spurned Hollywood limos for the rustic charm of Fire Island's boardwalks. Truman Capote wrote Breakfast at Tiffany's here. Diane von Furstenburg showed off her latest wrap dresses to an audience that included Halston, Giorgio Sant' Angelo, Calvin Klein and Geoffrey Beene. Today, such a roster evokes the aloof, gated compounds of the Hamptons or Malibu. But these celebrities lived in modestly scaled homes alongside middle-class vacationers, all with equal access to Fire Island's natural beauty. Blending cultural and architectural history, Fire Island Modernist ponders a fascinating era through an overlooked architect whose life, work and colorful milieu trace the operatic arc of a lost generation, and still resonate with artistic and historical import.
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Add this copy of Fire Island Modernist: Horace Gifford and the to cart. $345.00, like new condition, Sold by Design Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from New York, NY, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Metropolis Books/Gordon de Vries Studio.
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Seller's Description:
Fine. This is a fine hardcover copy with no wear at all. Completely clean inside and out. No dust jacket. Stated first edition. Horace Gifford (1932-1992) was a modernist architect who developed a beach house style for Fire Island. He built his first house there in 1961. Over the next three decades he built over 60 vacation homes across Fire Island. The serene world of Fire Island in the 1960's attracted the middle class and celebrities alike. Montgomery Clift, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor could be seen there walking Fire Island's famous boardwalks. Truman Capote wrote Breakfast at Tiffany's there. Horace Gifford died relatively young of AIDS in 1992. He deserves this book which is for everyone who while walking around Fire Island wondered who built these houses? Meticulously researched and full of vintage black & white as well as recent color photographs. Project List. Bibliography. 12" high X 9" wide, 202 pages. Large heavy book, foreign shipping will be extra. This book will be securely wrapped and packed in a sturdy box and shipped with tracking.
Add this copy of Fire Island Modernist: Horace Gifford and the to cart. $449.41, good condition, Sold by Big River Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Powder Springs, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Metropolis Books/Gordon de Vries Studio.
Add this copy of Fire Island Modernist: Horace Gifford and the to cart. $762.30, new condition, Sold by Just one more Chapter, ships from Miramar, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Metropolis Books/Gordon de Vri.
