Architecture of Poetic Concepts (Inscribed by Arata Isozaki to Earl and Camilla McGrath)

First edition of this promotional booklet, published in 1982 by E.F. Hauserman Company. A scarce and intellectually ambitious Hauserman publication, here functioning as a mini-monograph on the work of acclaimed Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, issued in conjunction with Isozaki’s commission to design the Hauserman showroom at the Merchandise Mart‍ in Chicago. Text by architectural critic C. Ray Smith engages Isozaki’s work through the lens of late modern/postmodern discourse, implicitly aligning Hauserman’s modular systems with these emergent theoretical concerns. The publication culminates in a schematic presentation of Isozaki’s 1982 showroom design.

Hauserman’s publications of this period occupy a distinctive hybrid position—part manifesto, part corporate self-positioning, part documentation of contemporary architectural practice. This example stands out for its direct connection to Isozaki at a moment of increasing international recognition. Slim 4to (8” x 8”), embossed pictorial stiff fold-over wrappers, 16 unnumbered pages on heavy stock, b/w illustrations. With quotes from Ada Louise Huxtable, Udo Kulturmann, Martin Filler, Peter Cook, Nory Miller and Heather Willson Cass. Booklet design by Vignelli Associates.

Association copy of exceptional interest. Inscribed in pencil on the upper cover by Arata Isozaki to “Camila and Earl McGrath.” The recipients are Camilla, Baroness von Hofmannsthal (photographer and cultural figure), and Earl McGrath, the influential New York gallerist, collector, and music executive. Minor rubbing and bumping to wrappers; contents near fine.