According to the iconoclastic modernist architect, designer, and critic Bernard Rudofsky (1905-1988), "What we need is not a new technology but a new way of living." Setting out from the assumption that the layout of every single room in a house is based on a physical function—one place to lie the body down to rest, another to take in food, a third to step into a tub to bathe—Rudofsky believed architecture and design should stimulate the senses and refine everyday culture. His concepts are more topical today than ever.

Rudofsky became internationally renowned for the groundbreaking exhibitions he created for MoMA in the 1940s and 1950s, and for his fashionable Bernardo sandal designs, which are popular again today. He is now remembered above all for his sharp-tongued, witty writings, which challenged the Western world's perceptions of comfort and culture and still speak to a broad audience.

Lessons from Bernard Rudofsky is more than a collection of essays by experts, more than an introduction to one unconventional thinker's complex views on architecture and living; the book is a rich visual treasure trove that conveys Rudofsky's philosophy: "I believe that sensory pleasure should take precedence over intellectual pleasure in art and architecture."

This volume is published in conjunction with an exhibition on view at the Getty Research Institute from March 11 through June 8, 2008.

Price: $64.95