Dear Axel ... : 99 postcards from Alison and Peter Smithson / Anna Bach.

Cologne, Germany : Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz König, [2025]
©2025

219 pages : illustrations (chiefly color), facsimiles ; 26 cm

Unexpected insights into the long process of designing the Hexenhaus, one of the most iconic buildings of the late 20th century. Between 1985 and 2002, British New Brutalist architects Alison (1928-93) and Peter Smithson (1923-2003) transformed a modest vernacular cottage into one of the most remarkable residences of the late 20th century: the Hexenhaus. Hidden in the forests outside of Hessen, Germany, the "Witch's House: was the residence of Axel Bruchhäuser, owner of the furniture company Tecta, which had its factory nearby. The Smithsons completely redefined the relationship between the house and its surrounding landscape by means of more than 20 small additions, extractions, satellite buildings, furnishings and alternative routes. During this decades-long process, the couple kept close correspondence with Bruchhäuser, as evidenced by this collection of 99 handwritten postcards, collected here for the first time. Following Walther König's publication of Hexenhaus: A House for a Man and a Cat (2021), this publication offers a new, intimate perspective on this ambitious project.--artbook.com.

3753309001 paperback
9783753309002 paperback

Smithson, Alison, 1928-1993 Correspondence.
Smithson, Peter, 1923-2003 Correspondence.
Bruchhäuser, Axel Correspondence.
Smithson, Alison, 1928-1993
Smithson, Peter, 1923-2003
Hexenhaus (Lauenförde, Germany)
Postcards.
Architects Correspondence.
Architectes Correspondance.

Personal correspondence

Bach, Anna, 1973- author.
Smithson, Alison, 1928-1993.
Smithson, Peter, 1923-2003.

99 postcards from Alison and Peter Smithson
Ninety-nine postcards from Alison and Peter Smithson

Location: Library study room new acquisitions 325332
Call No.: 325332
Copy: 1
Status: Available