Julius Shulman is renowned for some of the most iconic photographs in architectural history. His images seem to reveal the essence of an architect's vision and capture the spirit of the eras in which they were produced.
Julius Shulman's photographs of Southern California's inventive modern homes promoted the careers of numerous visionary architects including Richard Neutra, John Lautner, and Pierre Koenig. Mid-20th-century homes come alive through Shulman's compositions of carefully posed models set against streamlined furnishings and breathtaking vistas.
Shulman's widely published images marketed the West Coast's casual residential elegance to the world. Decades after the initial prints were created, Shulman's scenes continue to herald the beauty and livability of modern architecture and the glamour of the California dream.
Some of his architectural photographs, like the iconic shots of Frank Lloyd Wright's or Pierre Koenig's remarkable structures, have been published countless times. The brilliance of buildings like those by Charles Eames, as well as those of his close friend, Richard Neutra, was first brought to light by Shulman's photography. The clarity of his work demanded that architectural photography had to be considered as an independent art form. Each Shulman image unites perception and understanding for the buildings and their place in the landscape. The precise compositions reveal not just the architectural ideas behind a building's surface, but also the visions and hopes of an entire age. A sense of humanity is always present in his work, even when the human figure is absent from the actual photographs.
Today, a great many of the buildings documented by Shulman have disappeared or been crudely converted, but the thirst for his pioneering images is stronger than ever.
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