Promo Talk

It was sharing time with Eva Hagberg, author of When Eero Met His Match (reviewed in NYRA #31). The book recounts the relationship between architect Eero Saarinen and Aline Louchheim, the New York Times journalist who would become his wife and publicist. “The scandal isn’t the sex,” she told interlocutor at a mid-January talk held at the Head Hi bookshop, describing an incident where Aline’s scruples as a critic were called into question. “The scandal is that she sent him a draft [of her profile of his] before publication, to get his commentary.” Kubany is a veteran publicist with many reputable clients, including Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. She and Hagberg—who, in addition to being a publicist, is a critic, memoirist, and historian— engaged in an amicable discussion about some of the hazards of their shared métier. Professional boundaries can indeed get blurred, but not always in unseemly ways. Hagberg recalled a client she was close with who once approached her about a personal favor: “Eva, there’s no one else I trust. Can you write my speech for my daughter’s wedding?”

For those not plugged into the world of PR, the dialogue proved insightful. If, in some sense, the success of a design practice relies on building and maintaining relationships, then the role of a publicist begins to look like that of a close confidant. More than that: a kingmaker. Take the average architect you see in the glossies, Hagberg said: “He’s famous because he hired x,” not necessarily because his work is good. The Saarinen-Louchheim partnership is perhaps the most extreme example of this. She (“a masterful manipulator“ in Hagberg’s estimation) often overwrote her partner and transformed his practice in the process. Adopting a communications- first outlook, Louchheim knew how to present Saarinen’s work in a way that was attractive to clients and the press alike. More than that, her promotional copy was engaging and accessible to readers—a form of writing that just doesn’t come naturally to architects. “It doesn’t need to be about your mom,” Hagberg said. “It just needs to show your enthusiasm.”