Albert Frey: Inventive Modernist

A comprehensive volume on Swiss-American architect Albert Frey (1903-1998), Inventive Modernist tracks the scope and significance of Frey’s career, from his early days in Paris working with Le Corbusier to his rise as the iconic architect of Palm Springs. His unique “simple but severe” style of Desert Modernism cemented his legacy as one of the most influential architects, not only in California, but also in the United States and the world.

With full access to Frey’s various archives, the book provides many rare and previously unexhibited architectural models, drawings, films, photographs, and furniture, and offers an exceptional visual guide that goes far beyond the mere documentation of finished buildings. New academic research, in-depth essays, and a thorough, illustrated listing of the architect’s projects between 1925 and 1997, serve to contextualize Frey’s relevance today while securing his importance as a twentieth-century architectural master.

Published to coincide with a far-reaching exhibition at Palm Springs Art Museum, Albert Frey: Inventive Modernist presents a scrupulously researched and lavishly illustrated publication on the architect’s life and work.

Albert Frey (American, born Switzerland, 1903-1998) helped to establish Palm Springs as a world-recognized center for modern architecture and design. He was the first architect to design a modern International Style structure for Palm Springs and paved the way for modern architecture and the architects that followed.

Steeped in early European modernism, Frey's adroit handling of low-cost and low-maintenance industrial materials, sublime desert color combinations, and appealing geometric compositions give him a unique and permanent place in the idiom of "desert modernism" and succinctly expressed his two greatest loves—nature and architecture.

His mark on Palm Springs is indelible and includes such recognized icons as the Palm Springs City Hall, Fire Station #1, The Palm Springs Visitors Center, The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Valley Station, The Loewy House, and his final home, known as Frey House II, as well as hundreds of other notable projects.