Late last year, Larry Millett, former architecture critic at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and author of several books on historic homes, released a new book, Minnesota Modern, highlighting the architecture of mid-20th century homes in and around the Twin Cities. Much of the photography for this book was captured by longtime area residents Denes Saari and Maria Forrai Saari; we asked them about their 40-year passion and craft, and what to expect from this latest book.
How long have you lived in the area?
My husband and I have been living in Minnesota from 1974. We established our architectural photography business as Saari and Forrai Photography in 1975 in Minneapolis. Since then, we have worked with architects, designers, developers and related companies nationwide. We consider our work as a fusion of artistic sensitivity and technical skill.
How many of the images are yours?
We have 93 images in Larry Millett’s Minnesota Modern book. Our challenge was to capture the essence of 12 lived-in homes, originally designed by leading architects in the mid-20th century. Among them are Frank Lloyd Wright, Marcel Breuer and Ralph Rapson.
What is your favorite thing about this sort of project?
We approached the projects with a sense of responsibility. Those houses will be preserved through our images for future generation. We got full trust from the author and the publisher in our approaches. Denes and I are proud to be contributors to this significant book.
The book is available in hard cover from University of Minnesota Press for $49.95.
