Benjamin for Architects

In the quarter century since the publication of his Arcades Project Walter Benjamin has become a decisive reference point for a whole range of critical disciplines. Benjamin constructed a unique and provocative synthesis of aesthetics, politics and philosophy. This volume of the Thinkers for Architects series assesses the significance of Benjamin's writings for architectural theory and practice.

Starting with the intertwining of life and work within Benjamin's writings on European cities, this book examines Benjamin's contributions to cultural criticism in relation to the works of Max Ernst, Adolf Loos, Le Corbusier and Sigfried Giedion and situates Benjamin's work within more recent developments in architecture and urbanism.

This book is a concise, coherent account of the relevance of Walter Benjamin's writings to architects, considering figures of modern art and architecture in detail, and locating Benjamin's critical work within the context of contemporary architecture and urbanism.