An Outline of European Architecture

For over sixty years Sir Nikolaus Pevsner’s study of European architecture has been regarded as a seminal work which has inspired countless students of architecture. In this updated larger format edition with elegant and accessible design, an extra dimension is provided through the integration of over 200 superb colour photographs.

Pevsner reviewed the most beautiful, dramatic and outstanding structures that represent the styles and cultures of Europe from the fourth century onwards. His grand tour of Europe’s Romanesque basilicas, Gothic cathedrals, Renaissance villas and Baroque churches, sublimely defines ‘the changing spirits of the changing ages’.

In later chapters, he considers the revival of medieval forms in the age of Romanticism and the Arts and Crafts Movement through to the radical and unsparing geometry of twentieth-century Modernism. He concluded his survey in the post-war years and the start of the redefinition of so many devastated cityscapes.

In a new preface and an illuminating postscript, the architect Michael Forsyth continues where Pevsner left off by bringing the review to the present day. In a consideration of recent buildings in Europe by modern masters such as James Stirling, Norman Foster and Frank Gehry, he identifies a natural evolution of architectural achievement.

An Outline of European Architecture continues to be as stimulating and relevant as ever. Through his perceptive understanding of the heritage of past civilisations, and in the delineation of the buildings that continue to be recognized as the greatest symbols of artistic endeavour, Pevsner remains the essential guide and companion.

Sir Nikolaus Pevsner (1902–1983) is considered by many to have been the most influential writer on the history of architecture in the twentieth century.
Michael Forsyth is an architect and Director of Studies at the University of Bath.