Klaus's Cartoon Commentary

Cartoons have a long association with providing timely commentary and capturing the spirit of a moment in graphic form, often humorous but with a serious message at their core. Klaus is a cartoonist and illustrator based at Harvard's Graduate School of Design (GSD) who authors brilliant cartoons about the current state of architecture (and wider issues) through his blog (Klaus: The Blog). His cartoons have featured in, to name a few, eVolo, New City Reader, Harvard Design Magazine and an exhibition entitled 'Klaus.Toon from NY to Portimao' was recently held in Portimaro (Portugal) with the strap line "exhibiting cartooning and architecture and gossip around famous and celebrities".

'On Starchitecture' (Image: Klaus, 23rd April 2009)

As could be expected, being based at GSD, Rem Koolhaas features heavily in a number of the cartoons such as the one above posted under the title 'On Starchitecture' a response to his talk to CNN in 2009. Part of a wider series the blue and red 'prints', in the style of the iconic "Hope" poster used by Barack Obama during the 2008 American presidential campaign, that parody Koolhaas's role in the debate about the future of architecture. The cartoons have even made their way into OMA's office (see here).

'Koolhaas recieves Golden Lion Award' (Image: Klaus, 18th July 2010)

However, it isn't just Koolhaas and OMA who are the focus of Klaus as he features "bitter comment on the state of thing in architecture" with pieces on SANAA, Reyner Banham, Frank Gehry, the state of architectural theory and a host of other personalities and themes.

'The New City Reader: The Weather Forecast Inception'
(Image: Klaus, 7th January 2011)

The blog is updated regularly with new pieces and there is a substantial archive dating back to March 2009 that is also worth exploring.

Notes

Klaus: The Blog (No Date) [Online] [First accessed 2nd April 2011] http://klaustoon.wordpress.com/