James Savage: The Art of Modern Architecture by Michael Fassett

Event Details

James  Savage was an important figure in Tucson’s postwar modernist design culture, creating sculptural works that were integrated directly into architecture. Working closely with architects including Nicholas Sakellar, Savage produced cast-concrete reliefs, screens, portals, and other architectural elements that combined modern abstraction with symbolic and regional imagery.

In this presentation, THPF President Dr. Michael Fassett examines Savage’s life, major commissions, and collaborations with Nicholas Sakellar, tracing how his work helped shape a distinctly Tucson expression of midcentury modernism. The lecture highlights surviving examples of his architectural sculpture and considers Savage’s broader contribution to the relationship between art, architecture, and the modern desert city.