Jorn Utzon: The Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House, completed in 1973, is one of the world's great icons and a symbol of Australia. The overall image which it has maintained reflects the brilliant design work that Danish architect Jorn Utzon invested in the project, although it had a troubled history and was subject to many changes. This book reveals for the first time exactly what happened. Francoise Fromonot has researched documentation relating to every single phase of project - in the process discovering a precious collection of photographic negatives depicting each stage in the construction work - and her story reveals how changes in the political situation and crude professional scheming led to the Australians ultimately abandoning the great challenge that Utzon had offered them. The text and pictures tell a unique story, both of a building and of an architect who set us an example we still do not fully understand.