Stardust, Las Vegas, c. 1968

Aperture is pleased to release this very special limited-edition print from Denise Scott Brown, in celebration of Aperture Issue #238: "House and Home". Proceeds from the sale of Aperture’s limited-edition prints support the artists and provide critical funding for Aperture projects—including Aperture magazine, our books, and educational, online, and public programs—now more than ever. With its wonderfully indulgent hues and maximalist, iconic signage, this photograph encapsulates the architecture, atmosphere, and pop culture that drew Scott Brown’s interest to the rapidly growing city of Las Vegas in the 1960s. Scott Brown returned to and photographed the bedazzled subject of this piece—the Stardust Resort and Casino—multiple times between 1968 and 1971. In 1972, together with fellow architects Robert Venturi (to whom she was married) and Steven Izenour, Scott Brown coauthored the groundbreaking book Learning from Las Vegas. This seminal work explores the roles of symbolism and communication in architecture, setting the tone for architectural research for the following decades. In Aperture #238, Scott Brown discusses how photography has long been a key element of her approach to architecture and urban design.

Giclée Print
Image Size: 9 1/2 x 14 inches
Paper Size: 11 x 17 inches
Edition of 15 + 3 AP
Signed and numbered by the artist

Denise Scott Brown (b. 1931, Nkana, Zambia) is an architect, planner, urban designer, theorist, writer, and educator whose projects and ideas have influenced designers and thinkers worldwide. Scott Brown has held architecture and planning professorships at the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, UCLA, Berkeley, Yale, and several visiting positions. She has received several honorary doctorates and awards, including the AIA Gold Medal, which was awarded to Scott Brown and Robert Venturi in 2016—the first time the prize was given to more than one architect. Scott Brown has lectured and published extensively. Her books include Learning from Las Vegas (1972; revised edition 1977, with Robert Venturi and Steven Izenour); The View from the Campidoglio (1984, with Robert Venturi); Urban Concepts (1990); Architecture and Decorative Arts, Two Naifs in Japan (1991, with Robert Venturi); Architecture as Signs and Systems For a Mannerist Time (2004, with Robert Venturi); and Having Words (2009). Today, Scott Brown writes, lectures, and corresponds with architects and students. Her new monograph Wayward Eye, Photographs 1950–1970 was published in 2018 (Betts Project).