When Eero Met His Match : Aline Louchheim Saarinen and the Making of an Architect

**A uniquely personal biographical account of Louchheim’s life and work that takes readers inside the rarified world of architecture media** Aline B. Louchheim (1914–1972) was an art critic on assignment for the __New York Times__ in 1953 when she first met the Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen. She would become his wife and the driving force behind his rise to critical prominence. __When Eero Met His Match__ draws on the couple’s personal correspondence to reconstruct the early days of their thrilling courtship and traces Louchheim’s gradual takeover of Saarinen’s public narrative in the 1950s, the decade when his career soared to unprecedented heights. Drawing on her own experiences as an architecture journalist on the receiving end of press pitches and then as a secret publicist for high-end architects, Eva Hagberg paints an unforgettable portrait of Louchheim while revealing the inner workings of a media world that has always relied on secrecy, friendship, and the exchange of favors. She describes how Louchheim codified the practices of architectural publicity that have become widely adopted today, and shows how, without Louchheim as his wife and publicist, Saarinen’s work would not have been nearly as well known. Providing a new understanding of postwar architectural history in the United States, __When Eero Met His Match__ is both a poignant love story and a superb biographical study that challenges us to reconsider the relationship between fame and media representation, and the ways the narratives of others can become our own.

A uniquely personal biographical account of Louchheim's life and work that takes readers inside the rarified world of architecture media Aline B. Louchheim (1914–1972) was an art critic on assignment for the New York Times in 1953 when she first met the Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen. She would become his wife and the driving force behind his rise to critical prominence. When Eero Met His Match draws on the couple's personal correspondence to reconstruct the early days of their thrilling courtship and traces Louchheim's gradual takeover of Saarinen's public narrative in the 1950s, the decade when his career soared to unprecedented heights.Drawing on her own experiences as an architecture journalist on the receiving end of press pitches and then as a secret publicist for high-end architects, Eva Hagberg paints an unforgettable portrait of Louchheim while revealing the inner workings of a media world that has always relied on secrecy, friendship, and the exchange of favors. She describes how Louchheim codified the practices of architectural publicity that have become widely adopted today, and shows how, without Louchheim as his wife and publicist, Saarinen's work would not have been nearly as well known.Providing a new understanding of postwar architectural history in the United States, When Eero Met His Match is both a poignant love story and a superb biographical study that challenges us to reconsider the relationship between fame and media representation, and the ways the narratives of others can become our own.

"Aline B. Louchheim (1914–1972) was an art critic on assignment for the New York Times in 1953 when she first met the Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen. She would become his wife and the driving force behind his rise to critical prominence. When Eero Met His Match draws on the couple’s personal correspondence to reconstruct the early days of their thrilling courtship and traces Louchheim’s gradual takeover of Saarinen’s public narrative in the 1950s, the decade when his career soared to unprecedented heights. Drawing on her own experiences as an architecture journalist on the receiving end of press pitches and then as a secret publicist for high-end architects, Eva Hagberg paints an unforgettable portrait of Louchheim while revealing the inner workings of a media world that has always relied on secrecy, friendship, and the exchange of favors. She describes how Louchheim codified the practices of architectural publicity that have become widely adopted today, and shows how, without Louchheim as his wife and publicist, Saarinen’s work would not have been nearly as well known. Providing a new understanding of postwar architectural history in the United States, When Eero Met His Match is both a poignant love story and a superb biographical study that challenges us to reconsider the relationship between fame and media representation, and the ways the narratives of others can become our own"-- Provided by publisher "Journalist Aline B. Louchheim was associate art critic for the New York Times when she first met architect Eero Saarinen (1910-61), the great modern architect who would go on to become designer of the St. Louis Arch, the TWA Terminal at JFK Airport, and Washington Dulles International Airport. One year later, Aline became Eero's second wife and a key actor in his rise to critical prominence. In When Eero Met His Match, Eva Hagberg examines the role of public relations in the field of architecture through two narrative strands: a study of the career, life, and impact of Aline Saarinen, and a personal account of the author's time working in public relations for architects. This unusually creative work combines in-depth archival research with a critique of current practices in architectural journalism, shedding new light on the fascinating, untold history of Aline Saarinen, as well as a contemporary reality within the discipline. Through these lenses, Hagberg investigates the role of media and communication in architecture, revealing how architects' often invisible partners in the allied arts-often women such as Aline-were integral to the careers and narratives of prominent figures such as Eero. Bringing this history up to the present day by interweaving it with her own story, Hagberg shows why these stories matters now more than ever"-- Provided by publisher