Paffard Keatinge-Clay: Modern Architecture/Modern Masters

by Eric Keune

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Editorial Reviews

Paffard Keatinge-Clay is a unique figure in American architectural history. He was born near Stonehenge in England, studied in London and Zurich, worked in both Le Corbusier's studio in Paris and at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin, and then settled in the American West, where he worked for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill before starting out on his own. While he remained in the U.S. until the mid-1970s, and practiced there, his work remains largely unknown even in San Francisco, where he spent more than 20 years. His brand of orthodox Modernism was decidedly out of step with the prevailing "Bay Area Modernism" exemplified by figures like Moore, Wurster, McCue and Turnbull, who dominated both the academic and professional arenas of the period. Keatinge-Clay had to struggle to execute his own expressive, nonconformist architectural language, and when he did, he garnered minimal recognition. This book brings to light the importance of his work as representative of its time period and clarifies the influences his mentors--including Mies van der Rohe, Richard Neutra and Charles and Ray Eames--had upon it. This is the first retrospective study of Keatinge-Clay's architectural projects and, as such, is an important record of an academically and socially significant body of work.

Customer Reviews

Paffard Keating-Clay , 2006-06-07
by R. Morrison (USA)

This book does a excellent job of capturing the life work (to date) of an amazing artist. A peer of Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright among others, one can sense their influences in Mr. Keatinge-Clay's buildings and works. While clearly influenced by these masters, Mr. Keatinge-Clay buildings show an originality of beauty combined with purpose unlike any other artist in the field past or present. The photos of the San Francisco Art Institute which are breathtaking are alone easily worth the price of the book.

This book, apparently a first effort by author Eric Keune, does an outstanding job of presenting the works of Mr. Keatinge-Clay and the author provides wonderful insights into each project. The book formatted in a history, intent, site, design and construction narrative allows one to experience each of the projects as completely unique events as they unfolded in the life of the subject.

There are many marvelous observations by the author and Mr. Keatinge-Clay, who enthusiastically cooperated with Mr. Keune on the book. I highly recommend this book to any person who wants to learn more about one of the great living Architects of our time.