A Prague exhibition celebrates the life and work of an unsung hero of Israeli architecture
Experimental structural solutions and fantastic modernist forms have taken over Gallery NTK at the Czech National Library of Technology in Prague, for a survey of Israeli architect Alfred Neumann. Curated by the Ostrava-based Cabinet of Architecture in collaboration with MIT’s Rafi Segal, the show is the first major international attempt to present the work of Neumann.
The exhibition gives a comprehensive overview of Neumann’s life and career. Born in 1900 in Vienna, Neumann moved to Brno in Czechoslovakia, where his father operated small carpentry workshop. In 1922, he enrolled at the Vienna Academy, where he studied under Peter Behrens, going on to design furniture and interiors.
After surviving the concentration camp in Terezín during the Second World War, he escaped to Israel during the communists’ rise to power in Czechoslovakia in 1948 and began to work for Richard Kaufmann briefly. He became Dean of the Architecture Faculty at the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa; following extensive travels, he founded his own atelier in 1959, inviting former students Eldar Sharon and Zvi Hecker to join him.
Influenced by the Czechoslovakian pre-war international style and the material expression of brutalism, Neumann created highly original versions of modernist architecture. Together with Sharon and Hekcker, who later rose to fame after Neumann’s death, the architect designed some of the most important structures in Israel during the 1950s and 1960s.
Archive images of several of Neumann’s most important projects, dating back to 1930s feature in the exhibition, beside recently-built, 3D-printed models, and life-size installations, evocating the architect’s hard-edge structural solutions of his celebrated projects.
After using expressive polyhedral structures to design lightweight beach pavilions for a holiday camp at Achziv, he soon began to realise his visions in concrete: his town hall project in Bat Jamu, for example, was completed in 1963. Neumann’s later work – such as the Dubiner apartment building in Ramat Ganu – explored new possibilities of spatial design in the residential environment, and his military school in Mitzpe Ramon, finished in 1969, offered more surprises with its playful form of stacked concrete hexagons.
Following a successful career in Israel, Neumann relocated to Canada where he taught at the Université Laval in Quebec into his later life. After his death in 1969, his influence continued to be seen widely, through the work of his student Hecker (who also excelled in modular residential designs), and further afield too, in the ideas of the Japanese metabolists and European structuralists.
INFORMATION
‘Space Packing Architecture: The life and work of Alfred Neumann’ is on view until 1 October. For more information, visit the Czech National Library of Technology website
ADDRESS
Gallery NTK
Czech National Library of Technology
Technická 2710/
160 80 Praha 6-Dejvice
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
Lavender Bay house opens towards the water, overlooking Sydney harbour
Lavender Bay house by Tobias Partners is an expansive family home overlooking Sydney harbour
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
David Lynch presents 'A Thinking Room' at the Salone del Mobile
Here's a first look at the David Lynch Salone del Mobile 2024 installation, a cinematic experience within the fair curated by Antonio Monda
By Laura May Todd Published
-
Riva El-Iseo is the legendary boat builder’s first fully-electric motor yacht
The Riva El-Iseo electric speedboat blends classic Italian lines with a silent, powerful and zero-emission powertrain
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Modernist architecture: inspiration from across the globe
Modernist architecture has had a tremendous influence on today’s built environment, making these midcentury marvels some of the most closely studied 20th-century buildings; check back soon for new additions to our list
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Louis Kahn's modernist mastermind celebrated through new collaborations
The legacy of modernist architect Louis Kahn lives on to inspire a new generation, thanks to collaborations with family and fans
By Marina Cashdan Published
-
Royan Architecture Month showcases French modernism by the sea
Royan Architecture Month 2024 launches in the French city, where many travel to see midcentury builds by the sea, from Notre Dame church to Palais des Congrès
By Stacy Suaya Published
-
‘London Estates’ surveys the architecture and influence of the capital’s council-built homes
‘London Estates: Modernist Council Housing 1946-1981’, a new book by FUEL, is the perfect place to start for inspiration on how architecture can improve every sector of society
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Afrobeats and modernism: how the concrete ‘ruins’ of Lagos become a stage
We explore the relationship between Afrobeats and modernism in Lagos, as the Nigerian capital’s concrete structures become a stage for the music genre
By Olorunfemi Adewuyi Published
-
Is this the shape of wellness architecture to come?
Explore the future of wellness architecture through trends and case studies – from a Finnish sauna restaurant to UK cabins and a calming Canadian vet clinic
By Emma O'Kelly Published
-
Restored former US embassy in Oslo brings Eero Saarinen’s vision into the 21st century
The former US embassy in Oslo by Finnish American modernist Eero Saarinen has been restored to its 20th-century glory and transformed for contemporary mixed use
By Giovanna Dunmall Published
-
Discover Dyde House, a lesser known Arthur Erickson gem
Dyde House by modernist architect Arthur Erickson is celebrated in a new film, premiered in Canada
By Hadani Ditmars Published