Calder Gardens : drawings & texts by Jacques Herzog

The Calder Gardens, a new cultural centre dedicated to the work of renowned sculptor Alexander Calder in Philadelphia, the artist's hometown, opened to the public on 21 September 2025. The complex was designed as a space to stimulate reflection and renewal, emphasising the dialogue between art, architecture and landscape. The Calder Gardens are the result of an unprecedented collaboration between the Calder Foundation and the Barnes Foundation; the gardens and lawns, planted with native and perennial species, were designed by Dutch landscape architect Piet Oudolf. The building, reminiscent of Calder's bohemian home in Connecticut, bears the signature of the Herzog & de Meuron studio.

This book offers a unique insight into the creative process that led to the architectural realisation of the Calder Gardens and invites readers to follow architect Jacques Herzog through the development of the project. Numerous sketches and drawings are grouped into ten chapters, from ‘Vertical Stacks of Fragments’ to ‘The Underground Is Not Innocent,’ each accompanied by a short personal text. A selection of collages and study models completes this immersion into the working method, artistic intelligence, and creative and questioning approach of this renowned architect.