ART=ARCHITECTURE exhibit at Paul Rudolph Institute
Rethinking the Future
Staff - July 28, 2025
Photo by Paul Clemence
This exhibition of approximately 50 architectural presentation drawings by celebrated architects and designers from around the world will occupy two floors of the landmarked Modulightor Building, named for the lighting company Paul Rudolph created with Ernst Wagner in 1976.
Project Name: ART=ARCHITECTURE exhibit
Studio Name: Paul Rudolph Institute
Location: East 58th Street, New York
Curator: Eshaan Mehta
Dates: July 2, 2025-September 20, 2025
The drawings—meticulously drawn by hand or digitally rendered—come from the personal collection of Susan Grant Lewin, a longtime advocate for contemporary architecture and design. Created as conceptual or presentation works, they reflect drawing as an essential part of the architect’s expressive process—less about documentation, more about persuasion and imagination.
Photo by Paul Clemence
Among the architects and designers represented are: Eileen Grey, Daniel Arsham, Frank Gehry, Jesse Reiser, Hani Rashid, Steven Holl, Aldo Rossi, Michael Graves, James Wines, Stanley Tigerman, John Hejduk, and many others. Their work spans multiple generations and ideologies, yet all share a deep commitment to drawing as both a communicative tool and an artistic medium.
“These drawings transcend function,” says Lewin. “They are personal, poetic, and often provocative. They show how architecture begins with a bold visual idea.”
In addition to the drawings, the exhibition includes a selection of photographs by architectural photographers like Ezra Stoller, Robin Hill, Norman McGrath, Paul Clemence, and others. These images are not merely records of completed buildings but carefully composed works that stand on their own as art. Like the drawings they express atmosphere, intention, and the emotional experience of architectural space. They underscore the role photography plays in shaping our understanding of the built environment.
Go to the original article here.