Bruce Goff: Material Worlds

A major exploration of the work of American architect Bruce Goff, including the paintings, objects, and ephemera often overshadowed by his architectural legacy
 
Celebrated as one of the most innovative American architects of the twentieth century, Bruce Goff (1904–1982) practiced an unbounded modernism that was deeply embedded in the Midwest and Great Plains. He is best known for idiosyncratic single-family homes in suburban and rural areas across the United States that explode with color and texture—as well as cellophane, coal, goose feathers, and sequins. Dubbed the “Michelangelo of kitsch,” Goff rejected the minimalist aesthetics of his midcentury contemporaries and forged an architecture of fantastical, yet real, invention.

Expanding out from his distinctive architectural drawings, this groundbreaking study presents new research on the full breadth of Goff’s creative practice, from his wide-ranging personal collections and work in mixed-media bricolage to his lifelong engagement with painting and music. Thematic essays by curators and scholars explore Goff’s diverse influences including Native American art, science fiction, queer modernism, and East and Southeast Asian art and music. This richly illustrated book features many previously unpublished works by Goff as well as a new portfolio of architectural photography by artist Janna Ireland.
 
Distributed for the Art Institute of Chicago
 
Exhibition Schedule:
 
Art Institute of Chicago
(December 20, 2025–March 29, 2026)