THE ARCHITECTURE OF PHILIP JOHNSON

"It is embarrassing to see all the buildings I have ever built stretched out in one book like this," writes Johnson in his preface to this catalogue raisonné of his built work, covering 60 years and vast amounts of square footage. He might not be kidding: in addition to such indisputable, familiar masterpieces as Glass House (Johnson's New Canaan weekend house on 50 acres, completed in 1942 and complemented with other buildings over the years), the MoMA sculpture garden, the "notched" AT&T Building (now Sony Plaza) and the Four Seasons restaurant, there are quite a few less distinguished glass boxes here, many of them built for Texas oil companies. All of Johnson's buildings have been lovingly photographed by Richard Payne (described on the flap as "one of Johnson's personal photographers,"), and many of the 390 four-color and b&w shots take up entire 11"×13" pages. The scale is appropriate: Johnson's corporate work, particularly, needs to be given due scale so readers can appreciate the magnitude of their thrust and, often, odd beauty. Some of the truly giant reflective towers (IDS Center, Transco Tower and Water Wall, Pennzoil Place) may suck up all the air and space around them, but they do it with a wink. An introduction by Hilary Lewis, an architectural historian who has "worked with" Johnson on publications for the last decade, outlines the sweep of Johnson's career, while Stephen Fox (Houston Architectural Guide) provides histories and descriptions of each building. Despite his being a major purveyor the '70s and '80s monolithic impulse (such as the grim Post Oak Central complex in Houston), it's nearly impossible to dislike Johnson or his work; for every taunting propulsion, there is inkling of whimsy, as in the red, impossibly curved Gate House recently added to the New Canaan complex. (Sept. 14)