CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 7/31/2016

The Book on Architect Horace Gifford, Fire Island Modernist of the 196s and 70s

Featured images are reproduced Fire Island Modernist: Horace Gifford and the Architecture of Seduction, Christopher Rawlins' best-selling book on the work of the recently rediscovered midcentury architect whose vacation homes on Fires Island were so perfectly tuned to the liberated gay culture of the 1960s and 70s. "He pursued the mysteries of light, shadow and space as a poet might," Alastair Gordon writes in his Foreword. "And he would continue to struggle with light, shadow and space—practically and metaphorically—throughout his sadly truncated career. The more lyrical side of Gifford's character might have been lost in the glare of a gratuitous exhibitionism, but Rawlins made every effort to seek out the private and vulnerable man through correspondence and interviews, giving us a more human view of this architect and his considerable achievement." Above: "Welcome to Fire Island: Visions of Cherry Grove and the Pines by Jack Nichols," 1976; Bonaguidi House, 1968. For news about Christopher Rawlins’ new non-profit celebrating the mid-century architecture of the Pines, visit www.PinesModern.org.