Ricardo Bofill: Les Années Françaises Coffee Table Book
A visual and political chronicle of architectural ambition, this bilingual volume traces Ricardo Bofill’s dramatic entry into the French architectural scene following the demolition of Les Halles de Baltard. Invited to reimagine the heart of Paris, Bofill proposed a revival of historic urban forms, grand, expressive, and deeply contextual. His vision, however, was ultimately rejected in 1978 by Jacques Chirac, who favoured a more restrained approach.
Despite the setback, Bofill’s influence flourished across France’s new towns from 1972 to 1985, with landmark projects like Abraxas, Le Lac, Place Majeure, and Antigone, each bold, controversial, and unmistakably his. The book, structured as an illustrated diary, explores the intersection of architecture and politics during the presidencies of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and François Mitterand. Drawing from the Taller archives and firsthand accounts by figures such as Jack Lang and Paul Chemetov, it offers a rare glimpse into the confidential Les Halles project, only made public after Bofill’s death in 2021.
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Authors: Dominique Serrell, Michèle Champenois
408 pages
Language: English and French
Cover material: Hardcover
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A visual and political chronicle of architectural ambition, this bilingual volume traces Ricardo Bofill’s dramatic entry into the French architectural scene following the demolition of Les Halles de Baltard. Invited to reimagine the heart of Paris, Bofill proposed a revival of historic urban forms, grand, expressive, and deeply contextual. His vision, however, was ultimately rejected in 1978 by Jacques Chirac, who favoured a more restrained approach.
Despite the setback, Bofill’s influence flourished across France’s new towns from 1972 to 1985, with landmark projects like Abraxas, Le Lac, Place Majeure, and Antigone, each bold, controversial, and unmistakably his. The book, structured as an illustrated diary, explores the intersection of architecture and politics during the presidencies of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and François Mitterand. Drawing from the Taller archives and firsthand accounts by figures such as Jack Lang and Paul Chemetov, it offers a rare glimpse into the confidential Les Halles project, only made public after Bofill’s death in 2021.
Product information
Authors: Dominique Serrell, Michèle Champenois
408 pages
Language: English and French
Cover material: Hardcover
