Architect: Walter Gropius | Project completion: 2016
Photographing the US Embassy in Athens has been a long goal of mine ever since I first saw the Athens Chancery standing tall in the centre of the city. Mirroring four identical facades towards all directions and completed on July 4, 1961, the Embassy building was designed by Walter Gropius, one of the most celebrated representatives of the famed Bauhaus School. The Chancery, as it officially called, is in the shape of a perfect square with a center court, enclosing a planted area and fountain. The landscaped courtyard provides a place for discussion and meeting. Gropius placed a reflecting pool at the main entrance and fountains in the landscape to create serene settings and cooling from the Greek sun.
The photographic approach was, in my hope, as Doric and discrete as the building itself in an attempt to be consistent with the architect’s original design. Photography followed the lead of architecture trying to interpret the silent, yet ever present confidence of a Modern Movent building.
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
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