The Paul Rudolph Institute is proud to present
Architecture = Art: The Susan Grant Lewin Collection, which will open July 2, 2025 and be on view until September 25.
This exhibition of approximately 50 architectural presentation drawings by celebrated architects 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.
This collage by Eric Owen Moss and others will be on view at the Paul Rudolph Institute
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. Among the architects 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.
This drawing by Arata Isozaki and others will be on view at the Paul Rudolph Institute
Susan Grant Lewin’s longstanding commitment to design and innovation extends beyond collecting. She was architecture and design editor at both HFN, Fairchild Publications and House Beautiful Magazine, each for 12 years. In the 1980s, she joined Formica Corporation as Creative Director, originally to promote Colorcore, a new material specifically aimed at architects. She created Surface & Ornament, an exhibition that displayed both the winners of a design competition and the conceptual objects of a group of invited entrants, most notably the Colorcore fish by Frank Gehry. She subsequently started her own marketing and PR firm Susan Grant Lewin Associates, representing clients like Design Miami and Dyson. Lewin is also known as a prominent collector of contemporary art jewelry. She has had exhibitions and donated important works to Yale University Art Gallery, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Museum, Lowe Museum of the University of Miami and SCAD Museum of Art at the Savannah School of Art and Design.
Eshaan Mehta, curator, with Isabella Fernandez
Exhibition details for Architecture = Art: The Collection of Susan Grant Lewin
Dates: July 2, 2025 - September 20, 2025
Opening reception: Thursday July 02, 2025, 6-9 PM
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday: 1-4 PM; and by appointment other days/times.
Location: The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture, The Modulightor Building, 246 East 58th Street, New York, NY 10022. The exhibition space is elevator accessible.