Recap: DAF + CSM – Brutalism Tamed – An Architectural Reading of the Clyfford Still Museum

In the early 1950s, a group of British architects championed an architectural style they identified as “Brutalism,” and introduced the term to the English-speaking world. Brutalism was often defined by the use of raw concrete construction unabashedly expressed. By the 1980s Brutalist architecture was no longer popular, but in recent years there has been renewed interest in Brutalism, which emphasizes the visceral qualities of its construction. This “tamed” Brutalism, as applied to the Clyfford Still Museum, is the topic of this lecture.

Our speaker, Dr. Bob Nauman, received dual master’s degrees in music and art history before completing his PhD in Art and Architectural History at the University of New Mexico. He teaches in the Department of Art and Art History at CU Boulder, where his research focuses on art and architectural history of the 19th and 20th centuries. Dr. Nauman is the author of several books, chapters and articles dealing with issues of contemporary art and architecture. This event took place on Thursday, April 25, 2019.

Clyfford Still Museum image credit: Raul Garcia.