Towers of Steel, Concrete, & Glass

Author: Kareem Davis & Richard Willis

Publisher: Almighty & Insane Books

Known worldwide for its architecture, Chicago is host to an abundance of historical buildings that exemplify major architectural movements of the 20th century—from Commercial Style (a.k.a the Chicago School) to Prairie Style to International Style (or Second Chicago School). Kareem Davis and Richard Willis are Chicago artists whose work concerns the urban landscape around them. Their shared enthusiasm for the histories of buildings and other structures around the city betrays a passion for Chicago’s architecture—famed or otherwise. Davis’s line drawings of residential buildings (from luxury condos to now demolished CHA high-rises) float between architectural renderings and geometric abstraction while Willis’s drawings of water-tanks and water-towers are more expressive in character with added color and imaginative flourishes. Both these artists record and interpret Chicago’s architectural history through their personal expression. This publication is intended to capture these moments of history to share with others, and to be experienced from many perspectives—aesthetic, architectural, historical, social, and personal—while celebrating the work of these artists and the dedication to their city.