Denise Scott Brown Photographs 1956-1966

"Photographs by architect Denise Scott Brown that helped inform the development of the seminal postmodernism book she wrote with late husband Robert Venturi, Learning From Las Vegas, are part of an exhibition on view at a Manhattan gallery. The show, Denise Scott Brown Photographs 1956–1966, is being presented at Carriage Trade in Chinatown. The exhibition presents pictures by the influential architect and urban planner that were taken during research trips in the 1950s and 1960s. Many of the images on view were captured in the 1960s as part of a research excursion that led to the publication of Learning from Las Vegas, which played a key role in the postmodern architecture movement. In the book, the authors' argued that 'modernism veiled its own symbolism and expression under the pretense of form obeying the dictates of function' — an argument that was central to the rise of postmodernism. The pictures hint at Scott Brown's philosophies on architecture and urbanism, which were unconventional at the time. Scott Brown has received heightened attention in recent years as the focus on gender equality in the architecture profession has increased. In 2013, she spoke out about not being acknowledged for her role in Venturi's 1991 Pritzker Prize. A campaign to get her recognized ensued, but the Pritzker jury ultimately decided it could not retroactively award Scott Brown the prize. The AIA jointly awarded Scott Brown and Venturi the Gold Medal in 2016, and the following year, Scott Brown received the Jane Drew Prize from the Architects Journal and The Architectural Review."—https://www.dezeen.com/2018/11/15/denise-scott-brown-photographs-exhibition-carriage-trade-new-york/#/

The entrance to the exhibition features a long, linear collage of photos that depict the Las Vegas Strip. The piece is titled Ed Ruscha Elevation of the Strip – a reference to the American pop artist who photographed buildings along California's Sunset Strip and presented them in a fold-out book in the 1960s.

Moving past the entrance, visitors are shown prints of images from Las Vegas, southern California and Venice, Italy. The Vegas and California shots date to the 1960s, while the Venice photos were taken in 1956.

Installation photography by Nicholas Knight. Original photographs are by Denise Scott Brown.