Variations: The Architecture Photographs of Jenny Okun

Independently and through prestigious commissions, photographer Jenny Okun has traveled the world for more than twenty-five years creating dazzling, multi-layered interpretations of buildings by Frank Gehry, Richard Meier, Richard Rodgers, and many other renowned architects. Commissions have included the J. Paul Getty Museum; the Tate Modern; and the Whitney Museum of American Art. This is the first major book of Okun’s photography.

“Okun’s artwork,” writes Craig Krull, “consists of large-scale color photographic abstractions of architectural works. Rather than produce literal representations of buildings, Okun distills the essential qualities of form, texture, color, and detail . . . developing a Cubist interpretation of forms.”

“Looking at architecture,” Okun has written, “is like listening to music. Both are dramatic forms that reveal multiple, repeating themes. Above all, both need time. Just as a symphony cannot be experienced in a few seconds, it is impossible to see a whole building, all at once. When I photograph a building, I feel as if I am conducting with my camera, as I explore the architect’s themes in time and space. The harmonious overlapping shapes create new playful variations on the theme of the original architecture.”

The preface to the book is by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Thom Mayne. With essays by Henry T. Hopkins and Michael Webb.