Architecture's Odd Couple: Frank Lloyd Wright and Philip Johnson

In architectural terms, the twentieth century can be largely summed up with two names: Frank Lloyd Wright and Philip Johnson. Wright (1867–1959) began it with his romantic prairie style; Johnson (1906–2005) brought down the curtain with his spare postmodernist experiments. Between them, they built some of the most admired and discussed buildings in American history.

Differing radically in their views on architecture, Wright and Johnson shared a restless creativity, enormous charisma, and an ...