The life and work of modernist architect John Yeon is the focus of an exhibition at Portland Art Museum, which aims to elevate his profile and highlight his contribution to the area.
Quest for Beauty: The Architecture, Landscapes and Collections of John Yeon delves into the legacy of the local architect.
John Yeon's best known buildings include the 1936-38 Watzek House in Portland. Photograph by Jeremy Bittermann
Relatively unknown in other parts of the country, Yeon is credited with introducing modernism to the Pacific Northwest and creating a regional version of the architectural style.
His most important buildings include the 1936-38 Aubrey R Watzek House in Portland, his first architecture project, for which he combined modernist principles with local materials and Japanese aesthetics. At the Watzek House, Yeon combined modernist principles with local materials and Japanese references. Photograph by Jeremy Bittermann
"It became an icon ? five or six years after [MoMA's 1932] international style exhibition ? of a more organic American modernism," said exhibition curator and Yeon Center director Randy Gragg.
"The house was celebrated widely, and photographed by Ezra Stoller and Maynard Parker ? the greats of midcentury architectural photography."
This photograph of the Watzek House by Walter Boychuck became an iconic representation of Northwest modernism
Yeon designed several houses and civic buildings during his career that followed the same style, wh...