Michael Graves Collage for the Portland Building

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Michael Graves Collage for the Portland Building

About the Item

An iconic collage made by the architect Michael Graves in honor of the October 2, 1982 dedication of The Portland Building in Portland, Oregon (a landmark building considered the first major built work of Postmodernist architecture, which he designed), in mixed-media--including paper, cardboard wood, pastel, pencil -- entitled The Portland Building in Graves's own hand, underlined, in pastel. Below the collage is printed the dedication date, Michael Graves's name and the then Mayor of Portland's name, Francis J. Ivancie. Framed in its original light blue painted wood frame. "The Portland Building, by architect and product designer Michael Graves, is considered the first major built work of Postmodernist architecture. The design, which displays numerous symbolic elements on its monumental facades, stands in purposeful contrast to the functional Modernist architecture that was dominant at the time. As Graves explains of his architecture: it’s “a symbolic gesture, an attempt to re-establish a language of architecture and values that are not a part of modernist homogeneity.” In 1979 the City of Portland sponsored a competition for the design of the Portland Service Building, located on a 40,000 square-foot block in downtown Portland. The project, aimed to hold the city’s municipal offices, was uniquely located adjacent to City Hall, the County Courthouse and the Chapman Square Park. The young Michael Graves submitted his ambitious design, despite his lack of experience, partially due to an ally he had in the jury—his friend Philip Johnson. Graves’ colorful low-cost design impressed the jury, who discarded his competitors' costly glass and concrete designs, and awarded Graves the commission, knowing the design was bound to put Portland on the map—which it did. The building attempts to create a continuum between past and present: it’s a symmetrical block with four off-white, stucco-covered rectangular facades featuring reinterpreted Classical elements, such as over-scaled keystones, pilasters and belvederes. The building is set on a two-story base, reminiscent of a Greek pedestal, which divides it into the Classical three-part partition of base-body-top. Furthermore, Graves added symbolism through color—green for the ground, blue for the sky, etc—in order to visually tie the building to its environment and location. The Portland building is considered a major key-point in architecture history, bringing Postmodernism out of the academy and into the public realm. It paved the way for later, more mature Postmodernist buildings, such as the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort (1990), Denver Central Library (1996), and the St. Coletta School (2006). Despite its faults, The Portland building marked an undoubted departure from the monotony of Modernism. As Graves playfully explained: “I thought, ‘Why are they so upset?’ Modernism has given them a choice between vertical and horizontal, white, gray or black. Come on.” (Source: AD Classics: The Portland Building / Michael Graves,28 July, 2013 by Gili Merin)

Creator:
Michael Graves (b.1934) (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 32 in (81.28 cm)Width: 20.75 in (52.71 cm)Depth: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)
Style:
Post-Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Paper,Wood
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
1980-1989
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1982
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Essex, MA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU83775665533