The first monograph on the architect's entire oeuvre shows the details of his diverse projects in impressive photos by Cemal Emden. Even the unknown smaller conversions are documented – right down to door handles and fountains. It is high time for this standard manual published by Prestel.
When architecture and craftsmanship reconcile
Text: Sandra Hofmeister
The flat at Casa Ambrosini is only 57 square metres in size. The walls and floors are clad in wood all around and structured in all kind of recesses. Cupboards and shelves become part of the room and repeat the rhythm of the flowing, graphically patterned parquet flooring throughout. Window frames and doors reflect this dynamic and echo its proportions. Casa Ambrosini is a precious wooden casket for living in – a Gesamtkunstwerk that has been considered down to the last detail. Carlo Scarpa's masterpiece near St Mark's Square in Venice tells us a lot about the Venetian architect's self-image and his appreciation of craftsmanship, local carpenters and metalworkers. Every centimetre and every ray of light counts in this mini-apartment, which remains private and inaccessible to this day. The materials are even and balanced. These are Scarpa's favourite materials: wood and iron, natural stone and glass.
Gavina Showroom, Bologna, 196263, Carlo Scarpa, photo: Cemal Emden, 2024
From the door handle to the bank building
The new English-language monograph by Emiliano Bugatti, Jale N. Erzen and photographer Cemal Emden has been published by Prestel and is absolutely essential for all Scarpa fans. It is the first monograph on Carlo Scarpa that documents his work almost completely - with over 50 projects. Of course, the volume also shows the major and famous interventions by the designer and friend of Japan, who died in Sendai in 1978 after falling down a flight of stairs. These include the Museo di Castelvecchio in Verona and the Tomba Brion in Altivole near Bassano del Grappa - also in Veneto. But it is the small discoveries such as Casa Ambrosini that make this book so special. The clear photographs by Cemal Emden document the rooms and capture many details in large format, such as a door handle or a fountain drain from the Fondazione Quierini Stampaglia. It is precisely these details that make Scarpa's works so special. Short texts on the projects provide the most necessary information - sometimes, unfortunately, they are all too brief. Two interviews by Emiliano Bugatti reveal Scarpa's working methods with local craftsmen, who are still family-run businesses in Venice today. And an essay by art historian Jale N. Erzen at the beginning of the opulent book categorises Scarpa's work in terms of architecture and art history.
Villa Veritti, Udine, 1955-61, Carlo Scarpa, photo: Cemal Emden, 2024
Building in existing structures
Influences such as Frank Lloyd Wright's organic architecture are consciously reflected in Scarpa's work. Nevertheless, the projects of the future university professor remain unique and incomparable. Architecture is good when it feels good without people realising it - according to one of the Venetian's bon mots. He realised his projects on a wide variety of scales - from handicrafts for the Venini glass company from Murano to interiors such as the famous Olivetti showroom on St. Mark's Square or large bank buildings for the Banca Popolare di Gemona. Scarpa became famous above all for his meticulous exhibition designs and minimal interventions in existing buildings: door portals such as the one for the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy at the University Va' Foscari in Venice (1978) are unique and have lost none of their timelessness to this day. Most of Scarpa's projects are in Venice and on the mainland near the lagoon city - as far as Bologna or Udine. Much of it has been partially or completely destroyed today, especially the interiors, which are still privately owned everywhere. It is almost surprising that, despite all the exhibitions and research publications on Carlo Scarpa, no comprehensive monograph has been published to date. The impressive photographs by Cemal Emden in the new Prestel monograph bring Scarpa's spatial art to life in all its facets - including the non-public and hidden places.
Emiliano Bugatti, Jale N. Erzen, Carlo Scarpa: The Complete Buildings, photographs by Cemal Emden, 352 pages, English, Prestel, München, London, New York 2024, ISBN 978-3-7913-7714-8
