Simon Phipps

Simon Phipps

Photography | Architecture

Simon Phipps, born in Leeds, is an artist based in London. He is a graduate in sculpture from the Royal College of Art and a renowned photographer of post-war modernist architecture. He is the author of four books: Brutal London, Finding Brutalism, Concrete Poetry: Post-War Modernist Public Art, Brutal North and Brutal Outer London. Finding Brutalism was a winner of the 2018 DAM Architectural Book Award and Brutal London was a finalist for the British Book and Production Awards 2017. Phipps’s photographic archive can be seen at www.simonphipps.co.uk and for more – Twitter and Instagram @new_brutalism.

BRUTAL OUTER LONDON

BRUTAL OUTER LONDON

‘I love this book.’

BBC Radio London Robert Elms

‘The modernist ambition, scale and structure of these buildings are starkly rendered in [Phipps’] acclaimed photographs.’

I-M Intelligent Magazine

‘The book awakens a curiosity in the subject in a most satisfying way by celebrating and cataloguing an oft-derided and omnipresent architectural style.’

The London Society

BRUTAL NORTH: POST-WAR MODERNIST ARCHITECTURE IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND

BRUTAL NORTH: POST-WAR MODERNIST ARCHITECTURE IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND

aspirational and enlightened

‘Captures the most aspirational and enlightened architecture of the north’s postwar years.’

Guardian

excellent and very thorough

‘An excellent and very thorough study of the many Brutalist sites in the north. Full details of location, architect etc make it an invaluable handbook for the enthusiast.’ 

Mike
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‘Living in Sheffield I have grown up with brutalist buildings. I always think they get a bad reputation, but I have always loved the practicality and form of brutalist architecture. This book is a great collection of some of the best brutalist buildings in the North.’ 

James

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CONCRETE POETRY: POST-WAR MODERNIST PUBLIC ART

CONCRETE POETRY: POST-WAR MODERNIST PUBLIC ART

an absolute beauty

‘It’s an absolute beauty that’ll get you going for a look about at angular concrete lumps in squares. A masterclass in book design too.’

Simon Armstrong, Tate

distinctive

‘Filled with Phipps’ distinctive photographic compositions, this is a richly produced tome.’

Wallpaper*
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‘Gems of British Brutalism and Modernism are under threat from time and tide, as much as the wrecking ball – luckily, photographer Simon Phipps has been documenting these harsh beauties for his book, Concrete Poetry . . . From the Denys Wilkinson Building to the Blackwall Tunnel’s ventilation shafts, the UK is studded with post-war concrete odes to a better tomorrow. For those of us who don’t have the time to trot around the country, ticking these pioneering structures off their list, Phipps’ book is an essential coffee-table tour.’

Wired

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BRUTAL LONDON

BRUTAL LONDON

back in vogue

‘Brutalism is back in vogue … Now we’ve come to love the iconic, it’s time to explore further deeper.’

Londonist

clear passion

‘In his new book Brutal London, Mr Phipps expounds upon his clear passion for brutalist architecture, in a collection of his own black-and-white shots of such properties as the Thamesmead development in London (where Mr Stanley Kubrick shot many scenes of his 1971 film A Clockwork Orange) and the Barbican Centre, as well as many under-appreciated properties such as Robin Hood Gardens in Poplar, Tower Hamlets, or the Cotton Gardens estate in Kennington, Lambeth. The book, arranged in boroughs with accompanying maps, functions as something of a walking guide to London’s best brutalist buildings, accompanied by thoughtful notes that offer convincing, and somewhat romantic interpretations of these buildings’ austere geometry and physical narratives.’

Mr Porter

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