Michael Graves - Mariam Mougharbel

Looking around you, every building you see has a specific design and building plan. This plan could have been inspired by many different styles of art like the Roman columns seen on the White House, or the dome shaped roof seen on a mosque. The architect behind each building had a master plan and thought that he drew out in order to accomplish his masterpiece. One of the most deserving of these architects in the United States is Michael Grave. His desire and passion for design was seen in his many works. His passion also led him to teach students how to apply themselves in their plans for the buildings they were to design. Each of his structures was perfected with whichever design he saw fit to blend in with the area in which it was to be built in. His main achievement was that he was known for leading the architectural world in the 1970’s with the Post-Modernism movement (Ambroziak). Michael Graves is an accomplished architect, designer, and teacher who have influenced the designs of many buildings in the U.S. today.
Michael Graves was destined to be a natural at being an architect. Born on July 9, 1934, in Indiana, Graves always seemed to be interested in art (Lobiondo). His mother was frightened by the fact that he wanted to be an artist because she knew that if an artist was not well known his future would not be bright. She told him about being an architect or engineer to pursue his artistic craving, and after long consideration Michael Graves chose to be an architect (Lobiondo). Michael Graves grew up to be a successful student by attending the University of Cincinnati the later Harvard University where his main focus was studying architecture (Graves, Michael Graves). His great talent, achievements and will opened up many opportunities for this fairly new and young architect. Michael Graves was part of the New York Five who were a group of five young architects whose geometric designs for residential buildings resembled those of the former Swiss architect, Le Corbusier and whose designs were pushing modernism forward (Graves, Michael Graves).Arthur Drexler organized for the New York five to appear in his exhibition in the Museum of Modern Art in 1972 (Graves, Michael Graves: Current and Selected Works). This publicity for the New York Five brought Michael Graves much needed attention to his designs, but also brought on criticism for his modern outtake of building structures. Graves’s designs where used to inspire designs on a few houses such as the Hanselmann House in Indiana, the Benacerraf House in Princeton, and the Snyderman House in Fort Wayne (Graves, Michael Graves: Current and Selected Works). Each house took his modern approach on building which included adding bright colors to the exterior of the structure, and by adding many layers of porches and balconies to each house. Although this modern take of architecture was appreciated and revered by some people, mainly clients, tradionalist in architecture believed Graves work, and the work of the New York Five or any modern architect, to be unstable in theory and when the structure was built. The main attack against the New York five was done by Romaldo Giurgola, Allan Greenberg, Charles Moore, Jaquelin T. Robertson, and Robert A. M. Stern who wrote a group of essays called “Five on Five” (Ambroziak). These essays attacked the New York Five on their views of modernism claiming that these aesthetic views of theirs were impractible, and that they would never blend in with society’s neighborhoods. The attacking five also claimed that the different take on these plans for the building would deter a client or any person from purchasing an idea that was too liberal for them (Ambroziak). Michael Graves, though, was not discouraged by any of this criticism. In fact, he kept pushing the boundaries even of modernism. Modernist mainly used white for their building, but Michael Graves dared to push the boundaries by adding bright, soft, pastel colors to the houses he helped design (Graves, Michael Graves). Not only did he add these colors, but he made sure that they blended well with the surrounding structures. The houses he designed where like the frosting to a cake that brings a whole piece together with its beautiful decorations and designs to compliment the cake. Michael Graves did not let the fear of criticism or failure stand in his way in his early career, allowing him to take this passion into a teaching setting.
Michael Graves was not only an accomplished architect, but was also a professor as well. Graves taught architectural design at Princeton University in 1962 (Lobiondo). According to his students, Michael Graves was very passionate about teaching his student about thinking outside of the boundaries given to them in design and architecture. His type of thinking allowed his movement of modernism to inspire future architects into creating different but amazing structures seen today. Not only was Graves teaching at Princeton, but he also was still working at being an architect (Graves, Michael Graves). His office, on the corner of Nassau and Harrison, combined two historic buildings (Lobiondo). Michael Graves was known to have a very prestige looking office even though it was located in antique looking area. As Graves could not keep his office tied with Princeton students and his business, he opened up a store right across the street from his office painting it the same yellow as all of his offices (Graves, Michael Graves: Current and Selected Works). This extra space was filled quickly with Michal Graves new designs, as orders came in by mail and phone very rapidly. With the rapid growth of his business Graves hired Jack Cassidy, a Ralph Lauren representative, who helped him open more locations for his booming business that would allow Graves to continue to be an architect while he was still a professor at Princeton (Lobiondo). Michael Graves would have loved to have added his designs to the Princeton University itself. The only problem was that Princeton law states that a University professor cannot design for the school (Lobiondo). Michael Graves was upset with this law stating that it is horrible to not be able to leave your mark or identity in the place you have worked in and contributed to for the last thirty years (Graves, Michael Graves). Michael Graves felt like all his hard work and accomplishment of designing structure and buildings for many clients was being demolished by his absence in making his mark on the very foundation that he taught. This must have been very frustration for him as an architect and teacher for he could not show his students a direct example of his teachings. Michael Graves was allowed to add a few small additions to Princeton, but nothing that made him proud to represent as part of his modern movement. Michael Graves teaching, however, have influenced many architects throughout the United States so that even though he was not allowed to make his mark directly on Princeton, he still left his influence on each of his students he taught.
Michael Graves did not always stick to modernism, but pushed its limits as well forming his new type of architecture that he claimed to be figurative. This type of art was related to the use of shapes in order to portray the human bodies design in buildings (Graves, Michael Graves: Current and Selected Works). One example of his figurative architectural design would be him designing a wall segmented into three different levels to represent the head, body, and feet of a person (Graves, Michael Graves: Current and Selected Works). His unique perspective of designing houses pushed through many boundaries, defying the laws of traditional and modern architecture.
Michael Graves was an accomplished architect who pushed the boundaries of modern art in the 1970’s. He now owns his own business of producing plans for architectural structures. His company is name Michael Graves & Associates (Michael Graves & Associates). Graves is still working as an architect and is still pushing the boundaries of architectual design.
Works Cited
Ambroziak, Brian. Michael Graves: Images of a Grand Tour. New York: Princeton Architectual Press, 2005.
Graves, Michael. Michael Graves. London: Academy Editions, 1979.
—. Michael Graves: Current and Selected Works. Mulgrave: Images Publication Group, 1999.
Lobiondo, Mario. Michael Graves. 20 March 1995. 30 July 2009 .
Michael Graves & Associates. Michael Graves & Associates. 2009. 30 July 2009 .