Building Diplomacy: The Architecture of American Embassies

Embassy architecture and design ranges from the humble to the stately from the practical to the grand. Building Diplomacy is the first comprehensive photographic portrait of the official face of American diplomacy around the world. Elizabeth Gill Lui traveled to fifty countries to photograph American embassies chanceries and ambassadors' residences. This record of her journey includes approximately five hundred artful and eloquent interior and exterior views shot by Lui with a large-format camera. Keya Keita Lui's daughter and partner on the project shot a live-action documentary of embassies and the cultural milieu of each nation Lui and Keita visited. The text includes an essay by Jane Loeffler detailing the history of the U.S. Department of State's building program.America's commitment to historic preservation of properties has been realized in Buenos Aires London Paris Prague and Tokyo. The modernist tradition is showcased in Argentina Greece India Indonesia Mexico the Netherlands