‘The Brutalist’ Is Oscar Nominated, but What Is Brutalism?

The mid-20th-century design style is defined by its angular shapes and use of raw materials.
Adrien Brody starring as László Tóth, a Hungarian Jewish architect, in a still from the film 'The Brutalist'
Adrien Brody stars as László Tóth, a Hungarian Jewish architect, in the feature film The Brutalist. Photo by Lol Crawley, courtesy of A24

Director Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist has been causing an awful lot of chatter in the architecture and design spaces since its release, last month. The Oscar nominee is generating buzz for its ambition, its performances and, yes, at three and a half hours long, its notable duration.

But what is Brutalism? Emerging in the mid-20th century and popularized by the architecture critic Reyner Banham, the style is characterized by the use of rough raw materials, like metal and concrete. Marcel Breuer, Paul Evans, Adrian Pearsall and Silas Seandel are among the best-known exponents of Brutalism, which encompassed furniture and art as well as architecture.

A Brutalist-style sideboard designed by Paul Evans against a dark backdrop
Designed in 1968, Paul Evans’s Deep Relief sideboard is an example of Brutalist furniture design. Evans’s distinctive cabinets have been a first stop for many collectors looking to bring the spirit of brutalism into their homes.

Corbet’s lengthy film follows the fictional Hungarian Jewish architect László Tóth, played by Adrien Brody, who moves to the United States after surviving the Holocaust. The character isn’t based on any architect in particular, but Brody mentioned in an interview with NPR that Breuer was a reference point for the film’s writers. Like Breuer, Tóth is Hungarian, studied at the Bauhaus and crafts Brutalist buildings.

The movie seems to be instilling viewers with an appreciation for brutalism. As fans ourselves, we’re thrilled that a new audience will be discovering the powerful work of Breuer, Evans, Le Corbusier and Paul Rudolph, among other practitioners of this distinctive 20th-century style.


Loading more stories …

No more stories to load! Check out Introspective Magazine

No more stories to load! Check out Introspective Magazine