Brinkman & van der Vlugt (1925-1936)

Friday I made a short trip to Holland and finally got hold of a monograph on Dutch architects Brinkman & van der Vlugt. Although relatively short-lived, the cooperation between Leendert Cornelis van der Vlugt and Michiel Brinkman had a profound influence on early modernist architecture. Their most famous building, the Van Nelle Complex near Rotterdam, has also been critically acclaimed by Philip Johnson and Henry Russel-Hitchcock in their groundbreaking exhibition "The International Style" in 1932 at the Museum of Modern Art. Unfortunately the story of Brinkman & van der Vlugt came to an abrupt end in 1936 when van der Vlugt unexpectedly died . Based on their architectural achievements, this fact makes you wonder what the two could have done for post-WWII rebuilding...

The book itself is lavishly illustrated and depicts not only those buildings designed in cooperation but also by the individual architects. What makes the book outstanding is the fact that it features both historic pictures of the numerous projects of Brinkman & van der Vlugt and those taken only recently. As far as I know it's the only book exclusively dedicated to the complete works of the bureau and hence I am quite satisfied to finally be able to trace the whole history of these incredibly talented architects.