"Ira Rakatansky: As Modern as Tomorrow" book launch

The book release party for “Ira Rakatansky: As Modern as Tomorrow” took place on  Thursday June 17 (5 to 8pm) at risd|works in the RISD Museum of Art. The book team, co-editors Lynette Widder (Assc. Professor, Architecture), John Caserta (Critic, Graphic Design) and Thad Russell (Critic, Photography) were on hand with Ira Rakatansky.

Rakatansky studied with Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and returned to his native Rhode Island in the mid-1940s to build in the modern style. “Ira Rakatansky: As Modern as Tomorrow” is not only the first book about the buildings of Rakatansky, but is also the most comprehensive look at Modern architecture in Rhode Island.

The book highlights 20 key projects with an abridged chronology. Essays by architectural historian Joan Ockman and Lynnette Widder respectively treat Ira’s Harvard and post-war career and analyze Rakatansky’s architectural drawings. The 208-page book showcases scores of archival photographs and newspaper clippings, details of architectural drawings and more than 60 color photographs.

“Ira Rakatansky: As Modern as Tomorrow” is being released and distributed as one the RISD Architecture Series by William Stout Publishers. Research and documentation for the book received the generous support of the Graham Foundation, the RISD Professional Development Fund, and Ira Rakatansky.