NORMAN FOSTER. VISUAL RECORD

This new release offers a selection of 135 slides, captured on 35mm film by Norman Foster between 1961 and 2000. These images feature Foster’s many interests and passions: the arts, design, machines, locomotives, aircraft, cars, cityscapes and, of course, architecture. Also showcased are Foster’s travels and visits to iconic architectural works by figures such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier, among others. 

Inspired by a display of these photographs at the Norman Foster Centre Pompidou exhibition in Paris in 2023, this book brings together an ad hoc mixture of images taken over four decades. The selection of images, overseen by the Norman Foster Foundation’s Archive Unit, is so eclectic that it defies categorisation. The result is a spontaneous assortment of visual memories that give insight into Norman Foster’s creative process. 

As Norman Foster, President of the Norman Foster Foundation, states, many of the choices of the images are self-evident—notably my travels to visit the work of legendary architects from the past who were pushing the boundaries of their times. Other buildings may be anonymous, or included because they have created a sense of place. In other cases, my snapshots might be a mental reminder for the future. Perhaps the common denominator is interests or passions.