
The Villa
Form and Ideology of Country Houses
James S. Ackerman(Author)
Princeton University Press
Published on 24. May 1990
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-0-691-09911-8 (ISBN)
Description
A classic account of the villa-from ancient Rome to the twentieth century-by "the preeminent American scholar of Italian Renaissance architecture" (Architect's Newspaper)
In The Villa, James Ackerman, author of classic studies of Palladio and Michelangelo, discusses villa building in Western countries at various times and places from ancient Rome to twentieth-century France and America. In this wide-ranging book, he illuminates such topics as ancient Roman villas, the early villas of the Medici, the Palladian villa in England, and the modern villas of Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier.
Ackerman uses the phenomenon of the "country place" as a focus for examining the relationships between urban and rural life, between building and the natural environment, and between architectural design and social, cultural, economic, and political forces. "The villa," he reminds us, "accommodates a fantasy which is impervious to reality": through the ages it has been pleasure that has distinguished the villa estate from the farm. Since their earliest representation in Roman literature, the coveted country delights of relaxation, healthy living, hunting, reading, and conversation with friends have been an ideological construct of those who could afford to escape the city, often by expropriating rural land. Farmers and peasants usually don't see the country as an idyllic location, but city dwellers have frequently idealized country life and wanted to own property where it could be enjoyed. Hence the villa-which, unlike the farmhouse, typically asserts its modernity and its status as a product of the architect's imagination.
In The Villa, James Ackerman, author of classic studies of Palladio and Michelangelo, discusses villa building in Western countries at various times and places from ancient Rome to twentieth-century France and America. In this wide-ranging book, he illuminates such topics as ancient Roman villas, the early villas of the Medici, the Palladian villa in England, and the modern villas of Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier.
Ackerman uses the phenomenon of the "country place" as a focus for examining the relationships between urban and rural life, between building and the natural environment, and between architectural design and social, cultural, economic, and political forces. "The villa," he reminds us, "accommodates a fantasy which is impervious to reality": through the ages it has been pleasure that has distinguished the villa estate from the farm. Since their earliest representation in Roman literature, the coveted country delights of relaxation, healthy living, hunting, reading, and conversation with friends have been an ideological construct of those who could afford to escape the city, often by expropriating rural land. Farmers and peasants usually don't see the country as an idyllic location, but city dwellers have frequently idealized country life and wanted to own property where it could be enjoyed. Hence the villa-which, unlike the farmhouse, typically asserts its modernity and its status as a product of the architect's imagination.
Reviews / Votes
"[A] thoughtful, thought-provoking study."---Martin Filler, New York Times Book Review "To read this stimulating book is to meet an erudite scholar who has thought a great deal about the subject, and is willing to entertain, as well as inform, to patiently explain, as well as to make pronouncements."---Witold Rybczynski, New York Review of BooksMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
213 illustrations, including 71 drawings
Dimensions
Height: 254 mm
Width: 191 mm
Weight
1247 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-09911-8 (9780691099118)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
10/2023
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
€38.99
Available for download
Person
James S. Ackerman (1919-2016) was the Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Fine Arts at Harvard University, editor of the Art Bulletin, and a fellow and trustee of the American Academy in Rome.