Johnson, Philip Cortelyou (1906-2005), was an American architect. Johnson first gained recognition as an architectural critic. In 1932, he became the director of the architecture department at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. With Henry-Russell Hitchcock, Johnson produced an exhibition catalog called The International Style (1932). The catalog defined and named the style that dominated European and American architecture in the early and mid-1900’s. See Architecture (The International Style).
Johnson became an architect in the early 1940’s. His first major design was the Glass House (1949) in New Canaan, Conn. Johnson based the design on the works of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, a leader of the International Style. Johnson and Mies later collaborated on the design for the Seagram Building (1958) in New York City. See Mies van der Rohe, Ludwig.
Johnson has been identified with the International Style. However, many of his buildings reveal a romantic quality and an emphasis on historical elements not found in typical examples of the International Style.
In the 1970’s, Johnson became a leader of a movement called Postmodernism. Postmodern architects make free and explicit use of the arch and other traditional architectural elements. In 1978, Johnson and his partner, John Burgee, designed a controversial Postmodern structure, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company headquarters building (now the Sony Building) in New York City. The front of the building resembles a grandfather clock. He designed the six buildings in PPG Place (1983) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with elements of Gothic architecture. Johnson was born on July 8, 1906, in Cleveland. He died on Jan. 25, 2005, at the age of 98.
