Barton Myers: Works of Architecture and Urbanism

Barton Myers describes himself as a Victorian Modernist and this exhibit highlights his modernism especially the elegant use of glass and steelas well as his enthusiasm for the past. We also have investigated significant themes found through all his works of architecture and urban design: sensitivity to contextan enthusiasm for an engaged and complex urbanism, and architectonic themes: the complex organization of interiors, the hierarchical ordering of space, and the frequent use of facades for symbolic representation.

Barton Myers portrait

Barton Myers in front of his Myers house (Toronto, ON, Canada), circa 1970

The exhibition, Barton Myers: Works of Architecture and Urbanism, was curated by Kris Miller-Fisher and Jocelyn Gibbs and was on display in the Art, Design and Architecture Museum from September 12, 2014 until December 12, 2014. An exhibition catalog of the same name was produced in 2018 by Punctum Books and contains essays by: Natalie Shivers, Howard Shubert, Luis Hoyos, Lauren Bricker, and Charles Warner Oakley.

For the physical exhibition, the curators mined the archive to present an overview of nearly fifty years of architecture and urban design, beginning with Myers’ student work at the University of Pennsylvania, urban infill projects and his first steel houses in Toronto as part of the firm A. J. Diamond and Barton Myers (1968-1975), to the great variety of planning and architecture projects produced by the office of Barton Myers Associates, in Toronto and Los Angeles (1975 to 2014), many with the collaboration of extraordinary artists, designers, landscape architects, structural engineers, theater experts, and others.

The exhibit celebrated the vitality of the Architecture and Design Collection (ADC) in the Art, Design & Architecture Museum by showcasing our largest contemporary collection, donated by Barton and Vicki Myers beginning in 2000 and only a fraction of which was shown. The exhibition and the accompanying catalog were supported by the ADC Council. The AD&A Museum is also supported by the Ceil and Michael E. Pulitzer Foundation.

Barton Myers: Wolf house (Toronto, Ont.), drawing

Wolf house (Toronto, Ont.), circa 1972

This online exhibition is an adaptation of the much larger 2014 physical exhibit; as you move through the online space, please click on the images for more information. The book, Barton Myers: Works of Architecture and Urbanism, carries a Creative Commons International License, and quotes used in this online exhibition are reproduced under that license. Catalog ordering information can be found here.

Barton Myers: Works of Architecture and Urbanism