In the course of the 1950s, the reconstruction was a matter of urgency that would inevitably leave a profound mark on the land, thus drawing a particular attention to the search for a non-functionalist architecture. Some creators who moved in the circles around André Bloc (founder of L'Architecture d'aujourd'hui) and the group Espace, advocated a genuine synthesis of arts through a joint effort from artists and architects. Michel Ragon would be the first to dub this new trend “Architecture-Sculpture”, which had neither a leader nor a manifesto, and joined around the organicity of forms. If the house became in the 1960s the testing ground for this new formal display – which was enabled by new building techniques -, some large-scale achievements showed that another alternative was possible.

Architecture Sculpture - Collections FRAC Centre et Centre Pompidou, introduced by Marie-Ange Brayer, director of the FRAC Centre, is articulated around three essays (which deal with the origins and history of the trend and the role Pierre Joly and Véra Cardot played in its perception) as well as the presentation of 11 artists-architects* and their most emblematic works.
The book refers to the inventivity of a whole generation of creators who, as precursors of a plastic experimentation of the form, represent a true historical reference for contemporary architecture.
Its chronology of the trend is an adaptation of the one established by Michel Ragon.

Authors : Sophie Cazé, Marie-Ange Brayer, Véronique Wiesinger, Olivier Cinqualbre, Noëmie Giard, Aurélien Vernant.

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