A Foreshadowing of 21st Century Art

The Geometry of Very Early Turkish Carpets By Christopher Alexander Oxford University Press, 1993. 352 pages.

Christopher Alexander has assembled what many believe to be one of the finest collections of early Turkish carpets in the world. More than half the carpets are unique examples—carpets with no known counterpart. In this richly illustrated volume—featuring six hundred illustrations, ninety-eight in full color—Alexander takes readers on an engaging tour of his beautiful collection.

This book makes an important contribution to the world of carpet scholarship. It contains the first coherent theory of structure of carpet designs, and contains much material that anticipates Alexander's general theory of order which appears in The Nature of Order.

Equally important, Alexander's thoughtful meditations on these carpets will fascinate the many architects, artists, and planners who follow his work.

“Profoundly thrilling…A trip through space and time: for Alexander…Turkish carpets are portals to the Absolute. But this isn't an academic Shirley MacLaine gazing through a rug into his own navel: the tough-minded Alexander shows that the early Turks knew some basic truths about structure, color and light that have been forgotten in our time.—Newsweek”

“One of the most fascinating and beautiful groups of carpets ever assembled by an individual collector.—Ian Bennett, Hali Magazine”

A Foreshadowing of 21st Century Art

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