capacity for creativity

Content pages for the last three magazines

Modernism magazine comes out four times a year and began publishing in 2001 in America. The main thrust of it’s focus is on 20th century design; incorporating such delights as the art deco movement, mid-century, pop and post modern plus highlighting modernist products and interiors that reflect these design movements. The magazine contains well written and approachable articles, trends, interviews and research.

Modernism Magazine: Balthazar Korab. Architect of Photography.

This article is a biography of a photographer that has spanned many decades and countries. Korab was born in 1926 in the city of Budapest in Hungary. The Korab family were war refugees in Budapest after WWII and although he wanted to become a painter, his family and uncle (who was also an architect) pushed him towards architecture. His strong design and talent for drawing made him stand out  during his studies. With the occupation and political turmoil, resulting in his father’s imprisionment, Korab started making plans to escape with his brother and friend Kollar, also studying architecture. New Years day of 1949, saw the three of them cross the boarder into Austria with the help of Hungarian family and friends.

Korab then went on to finish his architectural studies at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, To pay for his costs, Korab took on jobs with prestigious european architects, including Le Corbusier.

In 1997 Korab said in an interview “What affected my photography most is the fact that I knew about architecture because I had designed and drawn it”. HIs photography began in the American Saarinen office, where Korab was asked to document design the process of a concept with models, mock-ups and iterative photocopying. His photography became invaluable to the design process and the photos of the final completed building were felt to have an enviable quality. He opened his own photography studio and received commissions to photograph buildings around the world.

His awards and life-time achievements are lengthy, a few to mention are: a Gold Medal for Photography of Architecture and Lifetime Achievement award from the American Institute of Architects; President Clinton personally selected twelve of his photographs to present to the Hungarian president and recently “the Balthazar Korab award” was created and given to him and annually given to a recipient who has shown outstanding contribution to architecture or the arts.