The politics of the architect’s narrative

Karamia Müller

READER, I WENT TO SEE The Brutalist… and, yikes. And I’m not the only one. Oliver Wainwright’s review in The Guardian charts the growing critical mass within the architectural community against it. How did I not love The Brutalist? Let me count the ways. Architecture has long been susceptible to the cult of the singular genius – a visionary figure, so often tormented, with poor boundaries and worse work–life balance, whose work is framed as the inevitable, heroic march of progress. The Brutalist, a recent film by Brady Corbet starring Adrien Brody, leans into this myth with the full weight of modernism behind it. It tells the story of an architect, László Tóth (a stand-in for Marcel Breuer), a Hungarian Jewish refugee who rises to international fame in post-war America. The…

You're reading a preview of

Architecture NZ (Digital) - 1 Issue, March-April 2025

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.