The Face of the Modern Architect

Discusses perceptions of the architect in the 20th and 21st centuries. The author focuses on the two main views of the architect - either as a creative artist or an engineer - that informed the understanding of the role of the architect in the first part of the 20th century, reports on the inclusion of photographs of architects in the photographic series 'Das Antlitz der Zeit' (1929; illus.) by August Sander, and studies the development of the modern idea of the architect as a public figure with reference to: the tools used by the architect over the 20th century as reflected in works including 'The architect's table' (1912; illus.) by Pablo Picasso, representations of architects' hands, the use of flamboyant and mainstream clothing by 20th-century architects, and the types of ties and spectacles worn by architects. He concludes by noting that the public roles of the architect has been transformed over the period from a position where architects were unknown functionaries to their current roles as leading figures who create new directions for the locations where they work.