This boos is the second edition of a dissertation defended in 1982. Addressing the disintegration of style in architecture, it is structured in three parts. In the first, in relation to the decline of classicism and the triumph of eclecticism during the second half of the 20th century, ‘style’ is defined in theoretical terms at a time when none is dominant, all coinciding in a battle of ideological importance. The second part shows how the early 20th century saw modern architecture’s stylistic nature forged by forces outside of the strictly architectural realm, specifically through agents like museums and catalogs. Part three presents the postmodern figure of disintegration as a picture of the present and a prognosis of the future, and the figure of the selfcriticizing architect, characterized by two strong personalities of that time: Venturi and Eisenman.
Muñoz’s work was influential but obscure. Now, with postmodernism – where architecture played a leading role – paradoxically a new vein of historical research, a new edition appears. Curiously in 2000, the architectural theory journal Assemblage ended its long trajectory with a special issue where international personalities made an assessment. Rafael Moneo, Muñoz’s thesis director in 1982, quoted it in his text: “Without the previous desire for a universal language, it’s individuals who prevail in architecture.” Thesis contents aside, which time has only proven right, the surprise of the book is an editorial history of itself, including subtle influences on other Spanish architects.
