Brutalist Monoliths

Brutalist Wall Art: From Raw Concrete to Your Wall

What Is Brutalist Architecture?

Brutalism is an architectural style that spread across the world between the 1950s and the 1970s. Its name comes from the French béton brut, raw concrete: concrete left as it comes out of the formwork, still showing the grain of the wooden boards it was poured against. Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation in Marseille, completed in 1952, set the tone, and the British critic Reyner Banham gave the movement its name in his 1955 essay "The New Brutalism". London's Barbican, Boston City Hall and countless social housing estates followed. Long dismissed as ugly, many of these buildings are now listed, photographed and shared again, and their stark lines make striking wall art. For the full story, the features to look for and the most famous buildings, read our guide to brutalist architecture.

Why Black and White?

Brutalism was always about material, mass and light, so this capsule shows it without color. In black and white, the grain of the formwork, the stains left by decades of rain and the shadow under a cantilever become the whole subject. Some images show an entire building, like a housing block on concrete stilts or a theater stepped into terraces. Others zoom in on a single detail: weathered blocks, a spiral staircase seen from below, deep window grids, rippling balconies. Together they read like a walk through a concrete city.

Where Brutalist Posters Look Best

Concrete needs contrast. A brutalist print hung above a linen sofa, a walnut sideboard or next to a large plant looks sculptural rather than cold. In a study, its strict geometry brings structure without color noise, which is why many of these designs also appear in our office wall art. In a hallway or a stairwell, where the light changes through the day, the shadows in these photographs come alive. They also sit naturally beside minimalist posters and other black and white posters.

Building a Brutalist Gallery Wall

Brutalist posters work especially well in series. Pair a full facade with a close-up of textured concrete, or line up three towers in the same size for a rhythm that echoes the buildings themselves. Keep one frame finish throughout: black metal for a sharp, graphic look, natural oak to warm up all that gray. For a wider mix, from Art Nouveau metro signs to futuristic skylines, browse our architecture posters.

Which Size and Frame?

• Above a sofa or a bed: a 70 x 50 cm (28 x 20 in) or 100 x 70 cm (39 x 28 in) landscape print, or two portrait prints side by side.
• Desk, shelf or narrow wall: 21 x 30 cm (8 x 12 in) or 30 x 40 cm (12 x 16 in), hung or simply leaning.
• Gallery wall: three to six prints in the same frame, with 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) between them.
• Frames: black metal, premium white oak or premium natural oak. You only pay for the frame, the framing itself is free.

Every poster is printed on thick archival paper by the print partner closest to you.