The Glass State: The Technology of the Spectacle, Paris 1981-1998

The Glass State by Annette Fierro is a thoughtful architectural study examining the role of glass, transparency, monumentality, and spectacle in contemporary Paris. Published by MIT Press in 2003, this first edition focuses on the major glass buildings constructed between 1981 and 1998 during François Mitterrand’s ambitious Grands Projetsprogram.

Fierro explores how architectural details reflect larger political, cultural, urban, and theoretical meanings. Through buildings such as the Institut du Monde Arabe, the Louvre Pyramids, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, La Villette, Parc André Citroën, Fondation Cartier, Centre Georges Pompidou, and the Eiffel Tower, she examines how transparency became a symbol of public access, cultural identity, and state power.

A strong choice for readers of architecture, urban studies, Paris history, design theory, and architectural criticism, The Glass State is a serious and collectible MIT Press title.

Hardcover, Like New