Aline B. Louchheim (1914鈥�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鈥檚 personal correspondence to reconstruct the early days of their thrilling courtship and traces Louchheim鈥檚 gradual takeover of Saarinen鈥檚 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鈥檚 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.
Awards and Recognition
- A Fast Company Best Design Book of the Year
"Hagberg’s book is bold and original, both in subject matter and structure. The author’s investment in the entanglement of love and professional drive, of language and form, does not fight for the inclusion of Aline Louchheim Saarinen in the existing canon but rather builds a new category all its own."鈥擬ariana Janowicz, New York Review of Architecture
"Hagberg gives the discreet and specialised world of the architectural publicist an aura of romance and intrigue. Though its task is confined, When Eero Met His Match is an expansive, candid, insightful and oddly sexy book. As a tribute to Louchheim, it is impressive; as a portrait of an overlooked profession, it is revealing, funny and moving."鈥擶ill Wiles, Apollo Magazine
"A unique piece of media criticism. . . . [Hagberg] shines a light on the deep connection between words and visuals, media and memory, and how our experiences of the built world are filtered through the stories being told to us."鈥擩arrett Fuller, Fast Company
"Combining biography, history, personal narrative, and cultural criticism, and sweetened with a dash of epistolary romance, When Eero Met His Match brings Louchheim — and an entire branch of architectural practice and production — out of the shadows."鈥擲ophia Stewart, Hyperallergic
"Hagberg’s exploration of their relationship foregrounds the woman whose powerful mythmaking created the lasting impression of Saarinen’s singular creative genius."鈥擲arah Holder, City Lab
"[An] important book."鈥擩ohn J. Parman, Arcade Magazine
"When Eero Met His Match dives into the rarely seen lives of those behind the curtain of newspaper clippings and magazine articles. Part historical account, part personal memoir, Eva Hagberg's latest book unpacks the often secret and sometimes omniscient world of architectural publicity."鈥擪ate Mazade, Madame Architect
"[An] unconventional biography. . . . the book’s true intellectual centre is the exploration of how architectural form is translated into — and shaped by — the stories we tell. . . . An accessible, elegant and exquisitely polymathic meditation on a complicated subject."鈥擲tefan Novakovic, Azure Magazine
"When Eero Met His Match is at once a personal journey for its author as it is an impeccably researched reconstruction of two important figures in modern architecture, sure to appeal to architects, students, and architectural historians alike."鈥擲ean Ruthen, Spacing National
"[An] excellent book. . . . Hagberg . . . uses When Eero Met His Match to correct the diminished role attributed to Aline in Eero's career, as portrayed in articles at the time but also in monographs published decades later."鈥擩ohn Hill, A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books
"It is a fascinating behind-the-scenes expos茅 of the relationship between architectural practice and the media which exploded after the war and continues to form the basis of how architecture works today. It’s also about fame, ambition, insecurity, love and lust (it would make a terrific movie)."鈥擲tephen Parnell, RIBA Journal
"When Eero Met His Match is a good choice for anyone with an interest in architectural media and its inner workings. It offers fresh new biographical perspectives on Saarinen and Louchheim along with a series of insights into the intricate web connecting architecture, art and the media in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s."鈥�The Finnish Architectural Review
"When Eero Met His Match is an extraordinary book . . . about women in architecture and how or why so many remain invisible. . . . [The book] reminds us of the transformative power of love and the complicated legacies of those who dare to challenge convention. Through its pairing of personal narratives and archival analysis, the book not only enriches our understanding of architecture and its practitioners but also inspires us to reconsider the ways in which we perceive and engage with architects past and present."鈥擜nnmarie Adams, Panorama
鈥淎 hybrid romp through modernism, Eva Hagberg鈥檚 When Eero Met His Match is both a paean to Aline Louchheim鈥檚 tireless work behind the scenes to promote Eero Saarinen and a compelling personal narrative, encompassing the vital, often invisible work of storytellers in shaping America鈥檚 love affair with architecture.鈥濃�擡mily Maloney, author of Cost of Living
鈥淓va Hagberg brings a relationship to life and illustrates how critical and promotional language shape the story of architecture, gently melting opinions into accepted history. Quick and brilliant.鈥濃�擲asha Frere-Jones, writer and musician
鈥淭here is a serious need to question the focus on the 鈥榤aster architect鈥� as a lone genius. When Eero Met His Match examines the crucial role of the media and of mediation between architect and press, shedding light on a hidden part of architectural culture, the role of the publicist.鈥濃�擧ilde Heynen, University of Leuven, author of Architecture and Modernity: A Critique
鈥�When Eero Met His Match sheds new light on Eero Saarinen, one of architecture鈥檚 prominent modernist figures, and claims an equal role for his partner Aline Louchheim Saarinen. A thorough and original investigation of the role of communication, public relations, and the media in shaping the architectural canon, Hagberg鈥檚 book powerfully superimposes the author鈥檚 own personal contemporary experience with that of her subject.鈥濃�擜male Andraos, designer and cofounder of WORKac
