January 31, 2005

Philip Johnson Remembered…Differently

For a glimpse of the darker side of Philip Johnson, read this article, “Form Follows Fascism,” from today’s New York Times. Johnson apparently did more than just flirt with fascist ideology. He bore witness to the Nuremberg rally, the invasion of Poland, and tried to start a fascist party in America.

“The German green uniforms made the place look gay and happy,” he wrote in a letter. “… We saw Warsaw burn and Modlin being bombed. It was a stirring spectacle.” As late as 1940, Mr. Johnson was defending Hitler to the American public. It seems that only an inquiry by the Federal Bureau of Investigation - and, presumably, the prospect of being labeled a traitor if America entered the war - led him to withdraw completely from politics.

Philip Johnson lived in a glass house. He threw stones, too.

And an equally enthusiastic obituary from The Guardian