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KNOW	DISCUSSION

The Art of Architecture Collecting

by Jennifer Leonard

There is intrinsic value to the visual expression of an architect’s ideas.

I learned this from architecture collector Edward Cella of Edward Cella Art+Architecture, a self-confessed “failed architect” who studied architectural history at UCSB with the late great David Gebhard, an internationally-known scholar of modern architecture and a vigilant champion of historic preservation.

L.A.-based Cella says architectural visualizations (sketches, renderings, models) are the best way of getting the full story behind a building, built or not. They reveal the architect’s explorations, including the genesis and genius of the overall design. A functional form of art, they express forms, elevations, plans and spatial arrangements, indoor-outdoor relationships and the potentials for human behaviors through the space.

Not to mention the sheer delight they provide! In a world increasingly powered by digital tools, hand-drawings are an “endangered species,” says Cella. He sees their worth and enjoys the pure artistry, or formal aesthetic, that they offer – their “careful consideration, choreography and purposeful beauty.”

Frank Gehry, Walt Disney Concert Hall, 10 Print Portfolio, 2003
Courtesy of Edward Cella Art+Archietcture

Frank Gehry, Walt Disney Concert Hall, 10 Print Portfolio, 2003
Courtesy of Edward Cella Art+Archietcture

Model making, too, by contemporary architects becomes progressively more important in a culture dominated by digital design. They impart evidence of the building’s unfolding and are the sole devices that allow viewers to understand the intricate relationships among the various planes. Take Frank Gehry’s Disney Hall, for example, with its multifaceted edges and complex curves: it could never be wholly understood in a 3D rendering. Cella predicts that “as building forms become more baroque” – in a historical, not pejorative, sense – the architectural model increases in value.

Models are a bit trickier to keep in mint condition, however, as “storage and dust are great levelers.” One has to maintain these very carefully, which can be challenging for individuals. But institutions love them, Cella says. “They see them as sculptural pieces that animate the space. Also, the sheer miniaturization of buildings can be charming.”

Traditionally, major institutions like Chicago Art Institute, Palm Springs Art Museum, National Building Museum and MoMA have housed large swathes of architectural drawings and models. These would typically consist of entire archives from a single architecture office or collections based on a theme, like modernism, which came to be by way of generous donation, or a hard-won acquisition. Cella admits that “there was a lot of dumpster diving going on at one point. Representatives from the Chicago Art Institute, for example, would go in and save the grills of a noteworthy building, rather than see significant pieces thrown away.”

This sort of appreciation for modernist architecture is not exclusive to institutions, however. Extending well beyond the vaults and halls of major archives, individuals are coming out of the woodwork in the name of architecture like never before. One need only look at the unprecedented turnout for the May ’09 opening of the exhibition Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward, which marked the Guggenheim’s 50th anniversary. It was their single most-attended event to date.

Frank Lloyd Wright, Ground Floor Plan, Neuroseum for the Wisconsin Neurological Foundation, 1955
Courtesy of Edward Cella Art+Archietcture

Overjoyed by the upsurge of enthusiasm for architectural treasures, Cella says it hasn’t always been this way. Spectacular works have long been at the risk of languishing in institutional contexts, as their organization costs time and money, and their storytelling requires a curatorial sensitivity. Cella is uniquely poised with these capabilities, having a powerhouse combination of academic and hands-on experience. He says he is most keen on finding (and placing) individual pieces into a diverse range of both institutional and private collections, while maintaining the integrity of a collection. Rather than burying works on dusty shelves, or centralizing them at a single site, he prefers a distributed model, which has the power to give the ultimate disposition to a major archive: “Imagine if all Picasso works lived in one museum in the south of France. Would people know Picasso like they do today? Or if antiquities were all repatriated to the country of origin: would a school kid in Chicago be able to experience the stories through artifacts of ancient Egypt? No, they wouldn’t even know about it.”

Although the art of architecture collecting is on the rise today, it is actually not a new practice. “Architecture collecting has a long tradition. It goes back to 17th century England, when the nobility would go on grand tours to Italy. They visited ancient ruins with the view to bring back pieces to later reconstruct in museums at home.” A budding collector need not travel to historical sites nowadays though. “Not only do we have important drawings at our disposal but also photographs and an expanded audience of people who appreciate architecture. The public awareness of architecture today is grander than ever before and we’re confident that there is a growing desire to preserve and understand these works.”

Especially in L.A., which is why Cella recently relocated his gallery from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles. He says, “the popularity of architecture here is largely attributable to the single-family residence, and the very real possibility of living in a work of historical consequence. The Case Study houses are a great example, which are modest, post-war homes designed for a middle class population, yet executed at a very high level.” Southern California is truly special for these reasons. An internationally recognized hotbed of architecture and design, its characteristic land organization (espoused in Reyner Banham’s classic Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies) has given – and continues to give – architects the opportunity to experiment. “Banham was a fascinating creature who helped create a new understanding of L.A.,” says Cella.

So too did his mentor Gebhard, Charles Moore and Esther McCoy – all great architectural historians who have contributed massively to the canon of L.A.’s built history. Their texts contextualize the sketches, plans and models from visionaries like Frank Lloyd Wright, Edward Killingsworth and Richard Neutra, which merit the attention of collectors today.

Cella says that it is quite possible to find an example of “a seminal drawing by a seminal architect, like Frank Lloyd Wright,” for approximately 200k. “When you think about that with respect to a similarly iconographic cultural artifact from the 20th century,” like a Marc Rothko painting that carries a much heftier price tag, “there’s a huge difference! This is a value play for people. You can own something everyone recognizes for far less money.”

Those just starting out might look for evidence by contemporary architecture practitioners, whose works are more accessible. Auctions are wonderful ways of acquiring pieces, says Cella, such as SCI-Arc’s Main Event on November 5 at Inner City Arts. His advice: “You can go for a name you know, or judge by your eye. I’m a visual person and focus on the qualities and details within the drawings. I look more with my eyes than depend on cheat sheets, or check lists. And frankly, the best collections are made that way.”

Jennifer Leonard is an interdisciplinary Project Leader at IDEO, with deep experience in research methods, participatory design and storytelling techniques. She is the co-author of Massive Change (with Bruce Mau), a book about the future of global design.