BOHUSLAV FUCHS - Czech or more specifically Brno modernism in Vienna

It has already been a month since a comprehensive exhibition of one of the giants of early modernism was opened in Vienna, and it is reasonable to believe that he is also one of the best architects of the last hundred years. His work significantly influenced architecture in Central Europe and even transformed the face of many Moravian cities.
Among intellectuals, especially in Brno, there is a saying attributed to the great writer Robert Musil – also a partial Brno resident: "…Brno is a large hall with a low ceiling…" What he meant at the very dawn of the 20th century is not hard to guess – that one can make a proper effort here, but cannot achieve great performances. That the ceiling (the Brno milieu) quite nicely presses you to the ground.
However, it seems that the same allegory could have been thought of and foreshadowed earlier by Germano Wanderley, an architect and common teacher of Adolf Loos and Josef Hoffmann, world architects and then classmates, when he emphasized four atlantes (titans) on his most famous house in the main square of Brno [1], lifting something excessively heavy – one only wonders whether it was the mythical sky or the Brno ceiling.
It is not difficult to believe that Robert Musil did not speak in vain, but from his bitter experience.
Then, at a certain time and not long after his experiences, it was possible to significantly lift that ceiling. The titan who achieved this was none other than Bohuslav Fuchs, with substantial help from others. Unfortunately, it was not permanent.
Since the exhibition takes place in Vienna, the works and contributions of Bohuslav Fuchs are to a large extent a symbol of emancipation in the former Danube Empire, and Vienna was, at the time of Musil's words, the cradle of modern architecture; it is fitting to add another quote. It is from the 1920s and was uttered by Adolf Loos at a time when he was editing a world-renowned magazine - the famous Bytová kultura: "…Whenever I am in Brno and compare these two houses (Besední dům and Německý dům [2]), it has always been clear to me how it must end with German Brno." You would have to see these two buildings and have a heart for architecture to understand where he was aiming. The Německý dům had an excellent concert program, but unfortunately (may its author in heaven forgive me) terrible architecture. It was simply a cake, while the Besední dům had brilliant, sparkling architecture.
Loos was a German from Brno, and this saying has nothing to do with national struggles but with architecture. The Besední dům was designed by Theophil Hansen and in my opinion is his best work next to the Vienna Stock Exchange.
Loos implied that this building foreshadowed the remarkable age of modern architecture and social life in Brno even forty years before it happened.
Bohuslav Fuchs is an architect of world caliber; however, globally, he is known only to the cultural elite, the most educated people. It essentially spreads only through word of mouth. Perhaps also due to the again lowered Brno ceiling. That is why the exhibition, thanks to Vienna, is the first step for this remarkable architecture to become an experience for a broader audience.


The Vienna exhibition in the intimate (but very respected in professional circles) exhibition hall ARCHITEKTUR IM RINGTURM will last until March 18, 2011. Open daily except holidays from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
> Bohuslav Fuchs - Czech avant-garde architect