Drawing on architecture : the object of lines, 1970-1990 / Jordan Kauffman.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Network diagram -- Timeline of events -- Introduction -- 1. Between process and object: drawings as drawings -- 2. Foundations for art: the autonomy of architectural drawings -- 3. The changing nature of architectural drawings: the Leo Castelli Gallery shows -- 4. Normalized practice: architecture in the galleries -- 5. Drawings as history: the architectural museums -- Conclusions.

"Prior to the 1970s, buildings were commonly understood to be the goal of architectural practice; architectural drawings were seen simply as a means to an end. But, just as the boundaries of architecture itself were shifting at the end of the twentieth century, the perception of architectural drawings was also shifting; they began to be seen as autonomous objects outside the process of building. In Drawing on Architecture, Jordan Kauffman offers an account of how architectural drawings - promoted by a network of galleries and collectors, exhibitions and events - emerged as aesthetic objects and ultimately attained status as important cultural and historical artifacts, and how this was both emblematic of changes in architecture and a catalyst for these changes... Drawing on interviews with more than forty people directly involved with the events described and on extensive archival research, Kauffman shows how architectural drawings became the driving force in architectural debate in an era of change."--Publisher's website.