Perhaps inspired by both the striking buildings and the surrounding natural beauty of his hometown of Seattle, Washington, architect Jim Olson excels at incorporating clean structural lines within the surrounding natural environment in a way that promotes absolute balance and harmony. As one-half of the award-winning architectural firm Olson Kundig, he explores the aesthetic interplay between art and nature in ways that no one else has.
The lavish Thames & Hudson monograph Jim Olson: Building, Nature, Art looks back upon Olson’s 50-year career to compile an exhaustive retrospective of his best and most-respected works. Primarily focusing on his buildings for art-collecting private clients and large-scale hospitality organizations, this hardbound, 324-page book contains approximately 400 stunning and enlightening illustrations. The informative text that accompanies these illustrations includes an introduction by renowned architecture critic Aaron Betsky and many of Olson’s personal reflections on the artistic medium of architecture.