Unpacking My Library an exhibition on view at urbancenterbooks

The inspiration for Unpacking My Library came from a talk by Beatriz Colomina at Cooper Union in 2006. She gave an informal and candid account of packing and unpacking her book collection on the occasion of her first move to New York City.

This led us to Walter Benjamin’s essay Unpacking My Library, in his book Illuminations: Essays and Reflections. After making the connection between books, architects and libraries we decided to photograph and exhibit architect’s book collections.

Each architect’s library is unique and informs their practice in surprising ways. Their personal statements, and favorite books, show that they are not bound by architectural themes or a canonizing of architectural history.

Unpacking My Library provides an archival snap-shot of architecture at the beginning of the 21st century. The exhibit captures a representative cross-section of these notable libraries, mapping the intellectual and emotional terrain of present-day architects and scholars.