From Las Vegas to Rome: A Visual Journey by Iwan Baan at Princeton University

Iwan Baan is a Dutch photographer widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in contemporary architectural photography. Unlike traditional architectural photography that often focuses on architectural elements of the space, Baan’s work consist of buildings in the context of daily life. They show how people actually in habit and interact with architecture. His images tell stories about cities, cultures, and the social impact of design, making him a bridge between architecture as an art form and architecture as a lived experience.

The Princeton University School of Architecture host a travel exhibition named “From Las Vegas to Rome” of Iwan Baan. The exhibition can be visited between  6th through September 10th, 2025.

Baan’s inspiration from the 1972 architectural manifesto Learning from Las Vegas by Denise Scott Brown, Robert Venturi, and Steven Izenour for this exhibition. The book has thesis on the similarity of Las Vegas Strip and Rome’s Piazza, the exhibition try to reverse of the idea in the book. The exhibiton uses imagery of Las Vegas city life to architectural and urban pattern of Rome currently.

Las Vegas and Rome, two common cities that have been seen as the intersection of “power” and “entertainment” from history to the present, are similar in this respect. The works in Baan’s exhibition, a prominent photographer in architecture, highlight urban density, tourist circulation, and the relationship between human behavior and urban fabric. The exhibition has shown at Princeton after American Academy in Rome, the Architectural Association in London, the 2024 Timișoara Architecture Biennial in Romania, and the Architekturgalerie München in Germany.

Iwan Baan explains that the exhibition focuses on discovering the shared qualities between the two cities, while also highlighting their unique contrasts. These places embody both the ancient and the contemporary, offering a layered narrative of time and culture. Visitors are invited to observe the striking differences that set them apart, from their architecture to their atmosphere. Yet, despite these apparent polarities, Baan emphasizes a deeper truth that we all coexist within these dual worlds, connected by the human experience.

Architecture and photography share an important relationship because photography has the power to document, interpret, and communicate architectural ideas beyond the limits of physical space. While architecture shapes our environment and influences the way we live, photograpgy protects and shares these spaces. At this point, architectural photography is about conveying its atmosphere, cultural meaning and human connection. If you are interested in contemporary architecture and what it affects on our lives, you can follow this exhibition and the other works of Iwan Baan.