Calder Gardens: Drawings and Texts by Jacques Herzog

A rare glimpse into the mind of Jacques Herzog, 'Calder Gardens: Sketches & Notes' traces the poetic and probing journey behind a visionary cultural landmark where architecture, art, and landscape meet. Calder Gardens: Sketches & Notes' by Jacques Herzog gives rare insight into the creative process that led to the architecture of Calder Gardens in Philadelphia—a new cultural destination where Herzog & de Meuron's visionary building merges with lyrical gardens conceived by Piet Oudolf and works of art by Alexander Calder to invite human connection and cultivate the imagination. This large-format publication invites readers to look over Jacques Herzog’s shoulder during the development of the project from its genesis. Numerous sketches and intimate drawings are grouped into ten chapters, from “Vertical Stacks of Fragments” to “The Underground Is Not Innocent,” each accompanied by a highly personal short text. As Herzog writes in his preface, “The drawings express uncertainty and doubt, perhaps also enthusiasm in moments when they made me believe I was reaching a new step in finding out what the architectural and sculptural identity of the project was going to be.” A selection of collages and study models round out this deep-dive into the acclaimed architect’s working method, artistic intelligence, and creative approach born of questioning.