Soon after 1900 in both North America and Europe the evolution from the tradition of Mediterranean and Gallic architectural styles to modernism began. This phenomenon was due, in part, to American industrial architecture and the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright's building and architectural treatises of 1898-1908, with the additional help of Dutch propaganda on his behalf, significantly influenced European practitioners and theorists. European architecture within and outside of Holland reflects an adaptation of Wright's theories along with the structural determinism of American industrial buildings. With new evidence and fresh analysis culled from Dutch and American archives, personal correspondence, and professional material, this study examines the weight of Wright's works and words and those of the Dutchmen H.P. Berlage, Theo van Doesburg, Jan Wils, J.J.P. Oud, William Dudok, and Hendrik Theodor Wijdeveld.This new insight on the effects of Wright's architectural theories and designs, coupled with an extensive guide for further research, will attract art and architecture scholars and historians on both sides of the Atlantic and will also be of interest to social historians, artists, and architects. Events and new theories, including the assertion that Hendrik Theodor Wijdeveld was the catalytic source behind Wright's Taliesin Fellowship established in 1932, are presented in clear accessible language. Tied to the text are numerous visual presentations of significant designs and buildings.

A study presenting new material about Frank Lloyd Wright's influential role in the development of modern architecture in Holland and Europe in the 1920s.

Foreword by Niels Luning PrakPrefaceFin de Siècle TurmoilDiscoveryImmediate ReactionInsights: Jan WilsSerious Looks, Passing GlancesWijdeveld: A Bright ProspectWijdeveld: Eye to EyeThe ShowTurningsFellowshipMany FellowshipsWijdeveld in AmericaSixty Years of Living ArchitectureAppendix A: Some Wright-Influenced Buildings in The NetherlandsAppendix B: Wright to Wijdeveld, 21 October 1947Appendix C: Wijdeveld's An International Guide, Santpoort, 1931Appendix D: The Taliesin Fellowship Constitution, 1932NotesBibliographyIndex of Personal Names