Plzeň commemorates Adolf Loos with five exhibitions

The emphasis on the highest quality natural materials and the rejection of unnecessary ornamentation make Adolf Loos's architectural works timeless treasures. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of this world-renowned architect, whose work continues to be admired in Vienna, Paris, Prague, and Pilsen. In the western Bohemian metropolis, five exhibitions have been prepared this autumn in honor of Loos, mapping his work in Pilsen, the development of individual realizations, and the fates of their inhabitants.

In Pilsen, eight predominantly residential realizations created by Loos in the 1930s for wealthy families from the local Jewish community have survived to this day. In his works, he rejected excessive ornamentation and decorativeism, which he also described in several of his essays. He emphasized natural materials and practical use of apartments. “His designs have become completely timeless, for example, due to the ingenious division of interiors or the placement of built-in furniture walls with atypical storage spaces,” revealed Anna Gaierová, who is in charge of the Adolf Loos Pilsen project. “Each of the interiors also has its own unique story, where the dramatic fates of individuals intertwine with historical events before World War II, during its course, and in the period of communist rule,” added Gaierová.

Two guided tours are available
Visitors currently have the opportunity to see Loos's realizations in Pilsen on two guided tour routes. The first takes them to the apartments of the Vogls and Krauses. In the apartment of doctor Josef Vogel, the dining room and living room are preserved, where Loos used his typical combination of marble cladding and a rough brick fireplace. Another characteristic element for Loos is the two opposing mirrored walls, which can also be found to a much greater extent in the Kraus apartment.
The second route features the Brummell House, which Loos transformed both outside and inside. He removed all decorative elements from the facade and changed the character of the building constructed in the style of romantic historicism. The interior of the house is the best-preserved of all the Pilsen realizations and is thus undoubtedly the rarest monument of Loos's work in Pilsen. “The Brummell House has returned to the ownership of the family of the original owners, who are carefully restoring it to its original form with the help of original furnishings, such as Loos's iconic knieschwimmer chair in the living room with an imposing Renaissance-style concrete fireplace,” stated Gaierová.
The third tour route leads to the residence of the Oskar Semler family at Klatovská Street 110, but the spaces are currently under reconstruction. “According to plans from the West Bohemian Gallery, the new tour route should open to visitors at the end of 2021. At Klatovská Street 19, there is also the house of Oskar's brother Hugo Semler, where Loos designed axially symmetrical music salon lined with remarkable fantastico marble. These spaces are accessible to the public several times a year, and extensive reconstruction is planned here. After its completion, Hugo Semler's house will be transformed into a museum of liberation by the American army,” revealed Gaierová. This building became the site of a significant historical event during World War II. After the Semler family left the apartment, the Wehrmacht command settled in the house. In 1945, the surrender of the German garrison was signed directly in the interior according to Loos's design. During this, a dramatic incident occurred when German General Georg von Majewski committed suicide in front of the present American soldiers, his staff, and his wife Elisabeth immediately after signing the surrender documents.

Loos's year in Pilsen is marked by five exhibitions
Since October 2, a pair of thematic exhibitions dedicated to the development of Loos's works in Pilsen from their inception to the present have been on display in the public spaces of U Branky and in the Pilsen City Hall's Mázhaus, featuring large-format photographs taken during the completion of individual realizations borrowed from the archives of the Albertina Museum in Vienna.

In addition, several smaller exhibitions organized in cooperation with the Pilsen – TURISMUS organization and the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen will take place in Loos's interiors until the end of the year, where interesting cultural events or weddings are regularly held not only in the autumn but also throughout the year. Thanks to the upcoming exhibitions, visitors will even glimpse into the apartment of Richard Hirsch, which has only rarely been accessible to the public. Through video animation, this space will introduce the fate of Eva Brummel, whose life was saved by Nicholas Winton.

Overview of exhibitions for the 150th anniversary of Adolf Loos's birth

Adolf Loos: Secretly. Hidden gems of modern architecture.

October 2 - October 30, 2020
U Branky
The exhibition will present selected Loos's realizations in Pilsen through unique period photographs provided by the archives of the Albertina Museum in Vienna.

Adolf Loos: Transformations. From rejection to resurrection.
October 2 - October 23, 2020 

Mázhaus
The exhibition in the Mázhaus space of the Pilsen City Hall will allow visitors to glimpse the development of Loos's realizations in Pilsen from the time they were abandoned by their original owners to the present, through preserved photographs and plans.

Other exhibitions dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Adolf Loos's birth

To implement three exhibitions in Pilsen interiors by the world-renowned architect Adolf Loos, Sutnarka, the progressive faculty of design and art of Ladislav Sutnar at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, was invited. It can be assumed that the young Ladislav Sutnar could have met the experienced Adolf Loos in Pilsen, Prague, or Vienna in the 1920s. It is evident that the contemporary cultural tendencies, which the pioneer of modern architecture actively supported, influenced Sutnar's approach to design and art.

From the memories of Eva Brummel
December 10 – December 12, 2020
Richard Hirsch's Apartment / Plachého 6
The studios of illustration and multimedia prepared a new original installation in Loos's apartment for Richard Hirsch, which is accessible only occasionally after partial reconstruction. An illustrated story dedicated to Eva Brummel's life story will come to life for visitors through video animation.

Loos in the new: Graphic Design
October 30 - January 2021
Kraus Family Apartment / Bendova 10
Students from the Graphic Design Studio created a series of works inspired by the person, life, and work of architect Adolf Loos.

Dialogue of photography
October 30 - January 2021
Vogl Family Apartment / Klatovská 12
The works of students from the Photography Studio on the theme of Adolf Loos sensitively complement the interior of the Vogl family apartment and interact with the original furnishings and accessories of the interior.

More information about Loos's interiors can be found on the websites adolfloosplzen.cz and visitplzen.eu.