The Battle for Modernism

The short-lived cultural journal Quadrante transformed the practice of architecture in fascist Italy. Over the course of three years (1933-36), the magazine agitated for an “architecture of the state” that would represent the values and aspirations of the fascist regime, and in so doing it changed the language with which architcts and their clientele addressed the built environment. Quadrante rallied supporters and organized the most prominent practitioners and benefactors of Italian rationalism into a coherent movement that advanced the cause of specific currents of modern architecture in interwar Italy. Through a detailed study of Quadrante and its circle of architects, critics, artists, and patrons, the book investigates the relationship between modern architecture and fascist political practices in Italy during Benito Mussolini’s regime (1922–1943).