robert venturi and denise scott brown exhibitions go on view

what we learned: the yale las vegas studio and the work of venturi scott brown & associates
yale school of architecture gallery
through february 5th, 2010

‘what we learned: the yale las vegas studio and the work of venturi scott brown & associates’ combines two independently organized exhibitions which look at the teaching research and design work of which venturi scott brown & associates (robert venutri and denise scott brown).
image courtesy of VBSA (also main image)

the first exhibition, ‘the yale las vegas studio’ showcases more than one hundred color photographs, several slide projections and original materials from the architects’ extensive research. the material was collected during their 1968 las vegas field trip with 13 yale architecture graduate students. this extensive research led them to an important book, ‘learning from las vegas’ (MIT press 1972), a revealing analysis of the prevalence of the ugly and the ordinary in the north american landscape at the time, and a total rethink of vernacular architecture.

image courtesy of VBSA

the second exhibition ‘what we learned’ focuses on venturi and scott brown’s contributions towards the making and understanding of the late 20th century and present day urban landscape. the installation is organized around five themes: context, mannerism, communication, automobile city and urban research. more of a concept-based exhibition, it is a layered collage of framed original drawings, blow-ups of photos, props from previous shows, theoretical texts, publications, posters, furniture and decorative arts by the architects.