What is Modern? Is it a teapot, an office chair, or the architecture of a building? Is it characterized by clean lines and minimalist tendencies? Something mass-produced for the worker and staunchly anti-Bourgeois? Is it an idealist utopia? This is the question that the Corcoran set out to answer in its exhibit Modernism Designing a New World, 1914 – 1939. Showcasing over 400 works encompassing a broad range of media, including industrial and graphic design,…

Good evening, D.C. This weekend was certainly hot. Capital Weather’s forecast indicates more of the same, with a chance of storms for much of the week. And there’s good news for the Nationals — their winning streak now stands at 10 wins. This photo, taken by Remain Fabulous and posted in DCist Photos, is of Saturday evening’s Annual Pride Parade, which was part of the 30th anniversary of Capital Pride In some quick news items…

As Gothamist and Google reminded us, yesterday was Frank Lloyd Wright’s birthday. The master American architect certainly shaped the way our nation viewed building and our relation with space. It’s too bad that countless other builders hacked up his vision by creating cookie-cutter suburban split-levels and other such throw-away exurban homesteads. One thing this DCist misses about the Midwest is the close proximity to Wright’s architecture. In Washington, we aren’t as fortunate. Corinthian columns and…

We’re saddened by the passing of one of America’s architectural giants, Philip Johnson, a larger-than-life figure who transformed our notion of space and design. Johnson lived in the shadow of Frank Lloyd Wright for much of his early career. About a decade after Wright died in 1959, Simon and Garfunkel wrote a song in tribute to the master architect. Though Johnson’s life was certainly filled with intrigue, drama and intense public criticism (for his architecture…

If you thought you couldn’t get enough of Frank Gehry by staring at models and renderings of the proposed wing at the Corcoran Museum of Art, head on over to 17th Street, as the museum opened today a new exhibition on the furniture of the Los Angeles architect. “The Furniture of Frank Gehry” runs through Nov. 15. The exhibition features work Gehry has done for three designers, Knoll, Heller and Vitra. Does any of this…