Exhibition about Mies van der Rohe’s Villa Tugendhat opens in CIVA  Brussels

 

 

On September 23 from 7 pm a festive opening of the Vila Tugendhat exhibition will be held in the spaces of CIVA – The International Centre for Urbanism, Architecture and Landspace. The opening will be held together with a lecture by the Villa director Iveta Černá called “Beyond of the Glass Room: The many lives of the Villa Tugendhat”.

The house of Greta and Fritz Tugendhat was designed between 1928 and 1929 by the German-American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. It is a unique masterpiece in terms of the structure, spatial lay-out, interior furnishing, technical equipment and setting in the natural environment. For the first time in the history of architecture, a steel load-bearing structure was used in a private house here in the form of columns in a cross-shaped floor plan. The interior features rare materials – onyx from Morocco, Italian travertine, woody species from south-eastern Asia.

 

---

 

Practical information

Mies van der Rohe’s Villa Tugendhat
September 23 – October 31, 2015
CIVA
Rue de l’Ermitage 55, 1050 Ixelles,
Belgium

 

---

 

Due to great interest among the professional and lay public, the Study and Documentation Centre at Villa Tugendhat prepared an exhibition about Villa Tugendhat, which presents the history of this unique work of classical architectural modernism.The concept of the exhibition was first presented in the accompanying programme of an international conference, Mies Here and There, held in Chicago in January 2012. It is accompanied by screening of two documentaries “The Fate Named Tugendhat” and “Villa Tugendhat – Monument Restoration 2010–2012”.

The exhibition can be visited in The International Centre for Urbanism, Architecture and Landspace until October 31.

 

 

EXHIBITION

Due to great interest among the professional and lay public, the Study and Documentation Centre at Villa Tugendhat prepared an exhibition about Villa Tugendhat, which presents the history of the villa from its inception to the present day. The exhibition which is intended primarily for foreign audiences is offered by the Brno City Museum in its English version (and in German and Czech version from February 2014).

The exhibition on the Tugendhat Villa is composed of 14 comprehensive topics dealing with the history of the villa in several time periods. Accompanying texts of individual “chapters” do not directly follow up on each other in their structure. The exhibition concept allows, if necessary, to divide the exhibition into several exhibition rooms, depending on the space available. Comprehensive themes also allow the use of only some part of the display panels.

Large-format photographs that are printed in the same size and format as the text panels introduce visitors to the atmosphere of the Villa Tugendhat using details of the design furniture, materials and well-known iconic parts of the house, such as the chrome column cladding in the interior or a vista through the broad windows into the villa garden.

By prior arrangement the exhibition can be complemented by an illuminated 1:50 model of the building, a photo slideshow, a lecture or a film screening of a docudrama “The Fate of Tugendhat” produced by Czech Television Consignment sale of the Study and Docu­mentation Centre at Villa Tugendhat publications can also be arranged.

By prior arrangement, you can also arrange consignment sales of publications made by Study and Documentation Centre. If not otherwise agreed, the minimum loan of the exhibition is 14 days, maximum 3 months.

 

 

ABOUT VILLA TUGENDHAT

Villa Tugendhat was designed for Greta and Fritz Tugendhat in 1929–1930 by German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Today, this building is considered the most important Mies‘ pre-war work and at the same time his most authentic surviving building in Europe. It is a unique work of art in terms of design, layout, interior equipment, technical facilities and integration into the natural environ­ment. For the first time in the history of architecture, a steel bearing structure was used in a private house. The interiors contain rare materials – onyx from Morocco, Italian travertine, veneer of exotic Asian woods.

The architect also designed the interior of the house – especially the seating furniture which now belongs among designer icons of the 20^th century. The technical facilities of the villa were quite exceptional for their time – air heating and cooling, electric retractable windows, a photocell at the entrance. In 2010–2012, the building and garden underwent thorough restoration and renovation which brought it to the appearance from the time of its origin in 1930.

Since March 2012, the villa is open to the public again as an installed monument of modern architecture.

PARTS OF THE EXHIBITION

2012 Introduction

1830–1939 The city of Brno

1860–1930 Genius loci of the locality

1913–1930 The löw-beers

1928 Greta and Fritz Tugendhat

1928–1930 The family villa at Cernopolní 45

1930 Technical details

1930–1938 A house submerged in greenery

1931 Philosophy of the structure

1938–1970 War and post-war years

1981–1985 First renewal and reconstruction

2001–2010 Construction history and restoration research

2010–2012 Second renewal and reconstruction

2012 The future

 

---

News source: CIVA