Charles Jencks
American architecture critic and theorist Charles Jencks is best known for his hugely influential texts on Modernism and Postmodernism. Taught by influential figures such as Sigfried Giedion and Reyner Banham, Jencks has also designed furniture and landscape architecture
Stories
‘A civic masterpiece’: Charles Jencks on Herzog & de Meuron’s ElbphilharmonieSubscription
Hamburg’s masterwork is a combination of abstraction and explicit ornament
Notopia: the Singapore paradox and the style of Generic IndividualismSubscription
Singapore has reached the crisis of its perfection
Michael Graves (1934-2015)Subscription
The great architect remembered by his friend and collaborator throughout the heyday of Postmodernism, Charles Jencks
In what style shall we build?Subscription
A new book by Farshid Moussavi argues that style in architecture needs to focus on individual aesthetic responses rather than shared understandings. And yet, as clients continue to commission ‘icons’, how should architects approach the question of meaning in architecture?
‘The most beautiful, expensive and iconic buildings of the ’70s were presented as functional necessities’Subscription
A new monograph on the late works of James Stirling and Michael Wilford prompts some reflections on the role of style and meaning in architecture
Charles Jencks on Democracy at the Venice BiennaleSubscription
Charles Jencks critiques the Venice Biennale’s portrayals of democracy
Interview: Charles Jencks VideoSubscription
‘Architecture is a better profession than doctors, lawyers, bankers, accountants and all the other options,’ argues critic, writer and godfather of Postmodern architecture, Charles Jencks
The Carnival of Thought: Charles Jencks on the Venice BiennaleSubscription
Charles Jencks critiques Fundamentals, the Biennale curated by his former student Rem Koolhaas
The Flying Dutchman: Charles Jencks Interviews Rem Koolhaas on his BiennaleSubscription
In this exclusive interview for The Architectural Review, Rem Koolhaas and his former architecture tutor Charles Jencks debate the morality, message and meaning behind this year’s Venice Biennale
Hans Hollein (1934-2014)Subscription
Charles Jencks looks back at how Hans Hollein shaped the culture of Austrian architecture through his texts, exhibitions and buildings
