Welcome to the Archives of The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture. The purpose of this online collection is to function as a tool for scholars, students, architects, preservationists, journalists and other interested parties. The archive consists of photographs, slides, articles and publications from Rudolph’s lifetime; physical drawings and models; personal photos and memorabilia; and contemporary photographs and articles.
Some of the materials are in the public domain, some are offered under Creative Commons, and some are owned by others, including the Paul Rudolph Estate. Please speak with a representative of The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture before using any drawings or photos in the Archives. In all cases, the researcher shall determine how to appropriately publish or otherwise distribute the materials found in this collection, while maintaining appropriate protection of the applicable intellectual property rights.
In his will, Paul Rudolph gave his Architectural Archives (including drawings, plans, renderings, blueprints, models and other materials prepared in connection with his professional practice of architecture) to the Library of Congress Trust Fund following his death in 1997. A Stipulation of Settlement, signed on June 6, 2001 between the Paul Rudolph Estate and the Library of Congress Trust Fund, resulted in the transfer of those items to the Library of Congress among the Architectural Archives, that the Library of Congress determined suitable for its collections. The intellectual property rights of items transferred to the Library of Congress are in the public domain. The usage of the Paul M. Rudolph Archive at the Library of Congress and any intellectual property rights are governed by the Library of Congress Rights and Permissions.
However, the Library of Congress has not received the entirety of the Paul Rudolph architectural works, and therefore ownership and intellectual property rights of any materials that were not selected by the Library of Congress may not be in the public domain and may belong to the Paul Rudolph Estate.
LOCATION
Address: 11 West 53rd Street
City: New York
State: New York
Zip Code: 10019
Nation: United States
STATUS
Type: Exhibition
Status: Built
TECHNICAL DATA
Date(s): 1954
Site Area:
Floor Area:
Height:
Floors (Above Ground):
Building Cost:
PROFESSIONAL TEAM
Client:
Architect: Paul Rudolph
Associate Architect:
Landscape:
Structural:
MEP:
QS/PM:
SUPPLIERS
Contractor:
Subcontractor(s):
Family of Man Exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art
On January 31, 1954 Rene d'Harnoncourt, Director of the Museum of Modern Art, announces that a major exhibition is planned for the 25th anniversary celebration of the Museum and will be an international photography show organized by Edward Steichen, Director of the Museum's Department of Photography, on the theme of “The Family of Man.”
The project scope is to design an exhibition which brings together 503 images by 273 photographers from 69 countries. The exhibition includes the Museum’s entire second floor galleries.
The exhibition is created as a photo essay celebrating the universal aspects of the human experience. Steichen invites photographers to submit photographs for consideration, explaining that his aim is to capture “the gamut of life from birth to death” - a task for which, he argues, photography is uniquely suited.
Rudolph designs the exhibit to be an architectural as well as pictorial experience. The photos - ranging from 8 by 10 inches to 10 by 12 feet - are arranged to emphasize their connection but also add drama as the viewer walked through the space.
The exhibit is open at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City from January 26 – May 8, 1955. During its 103-day run it is seen by more than 250,000 people, exceeding the museum’s previous attendance record set in 1940.
After leaving New York, the “Family of Man” exhibition is shown in Minneapolis, Dallas, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Baltimore. In addition, two foreign editions are made for the United States Information Agency to circulate - one in Europe and one in Asia. Eventually, five copies of the exhibit are circulated, seen in 88 venues in 37 countries.
The exhibition tours the world for eight years afterward, attracting more than 9 million visitors. It is finally retired by the USIA in 1965.
Following the death of Edward Steichen (1879-1973), Joanna T. Steichen (1933-2010) hired Paul Rudolph in 1973 to design the Steichen Residence for her. She had become a friend of Rudolph’s through his work with her husband on the MoMA exhibit.
DRAWINGS - Design Drawings / Renderings
DRAWINGS - Construction Drawings
DRAWINGS - Shop Drawings
PHOTOS - Project Model
PHOTOS - During Construction
PHOTOS - Completed Project
PHOTOS - Current Conditions
LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) page about the Family of Man Exhibit
RELATED DOWNLOADS
PROJECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
“Family of Man, Exhibition Installation at Museum of Modern Art, by Paul Rudolph.” Interiors, no. 114, Apr. 1955, pp. 114–17.
Museum of Modern Art. The Musdeum of Modern Art at Mid-Century - At Home and Abroad. Edited by John Szarkowski and John Elderfield, Museum of Modern Art, 1995.
The Family of Man. Museum of Modern Art, 1955.