University of Virginia Library

2. WEISSENHOF

From its earliest years, L'Architecture Vivante published the work of German
architects, an inclusiveness not always shared by other French publications between
the wars. Besides occasional buildings shown early on, six entire issues
of the review were dedicated to German work, beginning with the Spring
and Summer 1928 issues, both of which covered the 1927 Weissenhof Siedlung exposition
in Stuttgart. They included articles by Jean Badovici, Sigfried Giedion, and two by Le Corbusier, as well as fifty plates illustrating houses by all sixteen
participating architects, with the exception of Victor Bourgeois. In addition to
combining the two issues into the first volume for 1928, Badovici and Morancé
also published an identical work outside of the review: La cité-jardin du Weissenhof
à Stuttgart, which beneath its title is designated an "extrait de l'.Architecture Vivante."
It cost 80 francs, while the combined volume sold for 75 francs. 9 Its portfolio cover
follows the look of the review, using the same Didot typeface and symmetrical
typographic layout, and the same tan paper covering the boards (fig. 2.1, plate
2). Inside, each page appears exactly as it would for a combined volume, with
a l''Architecture Vivante title page showing the printemps/été 1928 date, as does the
table of contents. 10 While thematic issues of the review had appeared as early
as 1925, this was the first to be sold outside of its run. Éditions Albert Morancé

continued to sell this volume until early 1932, when it was repackaged as the first
volume of the series l'Architecture Vivante en Allemagne, to which we will return. 11