Antonín Raymond 7×
Gallery Jaroslav Fragner, October 23 – December 6, 2015
On Thursday, October 22, a symposium and the opening of an exhibition dedicated to the figure of the famous architect of Czech origin Antonín Raymond (1888 Kladno - 1976 New Hope, USA), who designed in Europe, America, and Asia, took place at the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery in Prague. The exhibition opening was preceded by a symposium dedicated to Raymond's work and life. Presentations were given by Raymond's student and current head of Raymond's studio, architect Shigefumi R. Tsuchiya, historian Irena Veverková, architecture theorist Petr Kratochvíl, and architect David Vávra, one of the co-authors of the exhibition and the author of the architectural solution. The exhibition will last until December 6 and will then be presented at the Architecture Gallery in Brno and subsequently will become the foundation of a permanent exhibition in Raymond's hometown of Kladno.
Kladno native Antonín Raymond is among the most interesting Czech architects of the 20th century. In Japan, he is even considered the founder of modern architecture. He started his career in Casse Gilbert's studio during the construction of the first skyscraper in New York, then he was an assistant to Frank Lloyd Wright in Tokyo during the construction of the famous Imperial Hotel. The famous building withstood the devastating earthquake in 1923, ensuring architects' fame; Raymond was one of the first to build with reinforced concrete. The architect founded his own studio in 1921 (the office is still active, led by Raymond's student Shigefumi R. Tsuchiya). He also collaborated with other Czechs who went to Japan - Bedřich Feuerstein and Jan Josef Švagr. In 1946, he founded a joint office with another Czechoslovak, Ladislav Leland Rad. The architect's lifelong support was his wife, artist Noémi, who contributed not only to her own studio but also to Raymond's work.
The exhibition at the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery and later at the Architecture Gallery in Brno will present an incredibly rich expressive repertoire at selected buildings in Japan and the Philippines and will introduce a similarly rich and adventurous fate. Raymond left for the USA while still studying architecture at the Prague Technical University, and later began designing in Japan. During World War I, he served as an intelligence officer, and from 1926 he also worked as an honorary consul in Tokyo. In 1937, he returned to the USA and visited his siblings in Czechoslovakia along the way. That was the last time he saw them; the Jewish Reimann family did not survive the Holocaust.
In the long list of works, we also find a project in the Philippines, which, along with other buildings in Japan, is presented through photographs, videos, plans, and models. The spectacular installation is also complemented by originals and copies of plans, drawings, artifacts, and furniture from the interiors of Raymond's buildings according to the designs of both spouses and architect Bedřich Feuerstein. Visitors can get an idea of the current state and scale of the realizations thanks to projections of several episodes of the series "Šumné stopy" featuring Antonín Raymond, Bedřich Feuerstein, Jan Josef Švagr, and Raymond’s successors.
The exhibition will be presented in Prague, it will be opened in December at the Brno Architecture Gallery, and afterwards it will become the foundation of a permanent exhibition in Raymond's hometown of Kladno. Currently, there are also negotiations regarding a reprise of the exhibition in Tokyo.
Organizers: Jaroslav Fragner Gallery, Architecture Gallery
Curators: Irena Veverková, David Vávra
Architectural solution: David Vávra
Graphics: Robert V. Novák, Tomáš Brichcín
Models: Robert Daněk
Production: Klára Pučerová
Patronage: Embassy of Japan in the Czech Republic
In cooperation with: State Regional Archive in Prague, Raymond Architectural Design Office, National Technical Museum, Embassy of the Czech Republic in Manila, Czech Television, Chekogura
Supported by: Japan Foundation, Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, State Fund of Culture of the Czech Republic, City of Kladno, Capital City of Prague, Prague 1 District, Czech Architecture Foundation, AED, HALLA, Schüco
Acknowledgments: Věra Čáslavská, Vladimír Groh, Yasuo Nishida, Daniel Klos, Radek Brunecký, Victor Raymond, William Whitaker, Petr Holý, Zdeněk Slepička, Radovan Lipus, Josef Viewegh, Renata Vlčková
Opening of the exhibition: Vlastimil Matoušek
Symposium and opening of the exhibition
October 22, 2015, at 5 PM, Svatováclavský Hall of the Bethlehem Chapel
Kladno native Antonín Raymond is among the most interesting Czech architects of the 20th century. In Japan, he is even considered the founder of modern architecture. He started his career in Casse Gilbert's studio during the construction of the first skyscraper in New York, then he was an assistant to Frank Lloyd Wright in Tokyo during the construction of the famous Imperial Hotel. The famous building withstood the devastating earthquake in 1923, ensuring architects' fame; Raymond was one of the first to build with reinforced concrete. The architect founded his own studio in 1921 (the office is still active, led by Raymond's student Shigefumi R. Tsuchiya). He also collaborated with other Czechs who went to Japan - Bedřich Feuerstein and Jan Josef Švagr. In 1946, he founded a joint office with another Czechoslovak, Ladislav Leland Rad. The architect's lifelong support was his wife, artist Noémi, who contributed not only to her own studio but also to Raymond's work.
The exhibition at the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery and later at the Architecture Gallery in Brno will present an incredibly rich expressive repertoire at selected buildings in Japan and the Philippines and will introduce a similarly rich and adventurous fate. Raymond left for the USA while still studying architecture at the Prague Technical University, and later began designing in Japan. During World War I, he served as an intelligence officer, and from 1926 he also worked as an honorary consul in Tokyo. In 1937, he returned to the USA and visited his siblings in Czechoslovakia along the way. That was the last time he saw them; the Jewish Reimann family did not survive the Holocaust.
In the long list of works, we also find a project in the Philippines, which, along with other buildings in Japan, is presented through photographs, videos, plans, and models. The spectacular installation is also complemented by originals and copies of plans, drawings, artifacts, and furniture from the interiors of Raymond's buildings according to the designs of both spouses and architect Bedřich Feuerstein. Visitors can get an idea of the current state and scale of the realizations thanks to projections of several episodes of the series "Šumné stopy" featuring Antonín Raymond, Bedřich Feuerstein, Jan Josef Švagr, and Raymond’s successors.
The exhibition will be presented in Prague, it will be opened in December at the Brno Architecture Gallery, and afterwards it will become the foundation of a permanent exhibition in Raymond's hometown of Kladno. Currently, there are also negotiations regarding a reprise of the exhibition in Tokyo.
Organizers: Jaroslav Fragner Gallery, Architecture Gallery
Curators: Irena Veverková, David Vávra
Architectural solution: David Vávra
Graphics: Robert V. Novák, Tomáš Brichcín
Models: Robert Daněk
Production: Klára Pučerová
Patronage: Embassy of Japan in the Czech Republic
In cooperation with: State Regional Archive in Prague, Raymond Architectural Design Office, National Technical Museum, Embassy of the Czech Republic in Manila, Czech Television, Chekogura
Supported by: Japan Foundation, Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, State Fund of Culture of the Czech Republic, City of Kladno, Capital City of Prague, Prague 1 District, Czech Architecture Foundation, AED, HALLA, Schüco
Acknowledgments: Věra Čáslavská, Vladimír Groh, Yasuo Nishida, Daniel Klos, Radek Brunecký, Victor Raymond, William Whitaker, Petr Holý, Zdeněk Slepička, Radovan Lipus, Josef Viewegh, Renata Vlčková
Opening of the exhibition: Vlastimil Matoušek
Symposium and opening of the exhibition
October 22, 2015, at 5 PM, Svatováclavský Hall of the Bethlehem Chapel
The English translation is powered by AI tool. Switch to Czech to view the original text source.
0 comments
add comment
