Adam Štěch: The Roots of Modernism - Italy

Theoretical designer and architect, curator, journalist, and above all, tireless traveler in search of 20th-century architecture, Adam Štěch, has prepared a special three-part lecture series titled Atlas of Modernism in collaboration with the Center for Architecture and Urban Planning (CAMP). During this series, he will take visitors to the cradle of European modernism – Italy, but also to Australia, Uruguay, and Argentina. The lectures start on February 26, 2020, culminating in the launch of Štěch's very first independent authored book, which maps 14 years of traveling in search of hidden treasures of modernism in architecture around the world.

Adam Štěch will introduce visitors to CAMP not only to the star names of world architecture but also to buildings that are slightly forgotten or previously underappreciated. The first lecture in February will familiarize the audience with lesser-known examples of modernism from the 1930s to the 1950s in Italy, while the second one in March will focus on the transformation of modernism in Australia, where many talented European architects fled before World War II. The last lecture in April will invite visitors to Argentina and Uruguay for exotic variations of modernist architecture.

“I enjoy writing about a specific house and its story. I do not see myself as a classical type theorist. I am actually dependent on authentic discoveries. I need to see things with my own eyes. For example, a trip to South America showed me buildings and architects that I would not have encountered otherwise, such as in the streets of Montevideo or Buenos Aires. Modernism is incredibly diverse. It is not uniform; it is not monotonous. I feel there is still so much to discover in it,” describes Adam Štěch.

Rediscovering long-forgotten buildings or finding unexpected connections is a life theme for Štěch. He is interested in local approaches and the dynamics or diversity with which modernism has changed over the years. During his travels, he investigates how the style has developed with changes in culture or climatic, political, social, and geographical conditions in different countries around the world. Recently, the theorist fulfilled a dream. He is preparing a book titled Modern Architecture and Interiors, which will showcase an incredible nearly 900 buildings he has visited and documented over a generous 880 pages.

“At CAMP, we strive to present architecture from various corners of the world to the people of Prague. Often it serves as inspiration not just for them but for Prague itself. I am even more pleased that Adam Štěch, who has traveled almost the entire world, will showcase the most interesting modernist buildings that are missing in Prague,” says Štěpán Bärtl, head of the CAMP office.

Since 2005, the theorist has traveled a significant part of Europe, the USA, Latin America, Australia, and Japan, where he visited some masterworks of 20th-century modernist creation. He has gained a unique position among architectural and design theorists not only due to his active publishing activity but especially because of his enthusiasm and unwavering belief in the depth and diversity of modernism.

The book is being prepared by the renowned German publisher Prestel. The buildings are systematically arranged by the names of the architects. They do not respect the city, continent, or decade. Thus, the reader holds in their hands a journey through modernism in all its diverse forms, from German and Italian rationalism through radical Japanese metabolism, magical Portuguese 30s, to Belgian post-war modernism. On two pages, Art Deco and Brutalism intersect, just as Montevideo and Melbourne do. Both the lecture series and the book highlight the multifacetedness, diversity, and inexhaustibility of modernism. The last April lecture at CAMP will symbolically conclude with the launch of the publication.

List of all lectures:
26/2/2020 Roots of modernism: Italy
19/3/2020 Transformation of modernism: Australia
April 2020 Secrets of modernism: Uruguay and Argentina + launch of the publication Modern Architecture and Interiors