PHOTOGRAPHS
Shulman, Julius
U.S. (1910 - 2009)
Kaufmann House
1947, printed 1998
Gelatin silver print
29 5/8 x 39 11/16 in. (75.2 x 100.8 cm) visible image size; 35 11/16 x 45 5/8 x 3/4 in. (90.7 x 115.9 x 1.9 cm) frame size
Gift of Burt and Jane Berman
FA 2007.35

Julius Shulman is known for his architectural photography published in popular magazines and architectural books, and which helped shape the image of mid-century California in the public imagination. The Kaufmann House, pictured here, was a winter retreat built in Palm Springs, California for the owner of a large department store in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Shulman was a friend of the modernist architect Richard Neutra, who designed The Kaufmann House. Along with an interest in geometric form and truth to materials, modern architecture sought to improve human experience by designing environments for better living. At the Kaufmann House, Neutra deliberately enhanced the relationship between the inside of the building and the surrounding landscape, using glass to create porosity between interior and exterior spaces. In this image, Shulman, who was known for his ability to produce images sympathetic to architects’ artistic visions, emphasizes a visual integration of the building into the surrounding desert.

Label copy for The Time. The Place. Contemporary Art from the Collection, November 4, 2017 to April 22, 2018.