Melnikov's House at the Tugendhat Villa

Vila Tugendhat will again host a unique lecture this year as part of the Iconic Houses series, aimed at raising awareness of modern house museums and their frequent struggles for survival. The lecture by the director of the State Museum of Konstantin and Viktor Melnikov, and the deputy director of the Shchusev State Museum of Architecture in Moscow, Pavel Kuznetsov, is part of the European Iconic Houses lecture tour, which in its fifth year will visit a total of six European destinations.
Pavel Kuznetsov will present to listeners on Tuesday, October 15 at 6:00 PM the unique Melnikov House, designed by architect Konstantin Melnikov for himself and his family. The house was built between 1927 and 1929 to test Melnikov's housing concepts. The architect believed that the essence of his house lies in the balance and equality of weight, light, air, and heat. The lecture will be accompanied by fragments of the documentary "Konstantin Melnikov" (1999) by Jet Christiaanse and Marjo Leupers.
The lecture will be interpreted simultaneously from English, while the film will be presented in its original version.
  
Pavel Kuznetsov
Pavel Kuznetsov is an economist by education and is currently engaged in Soviet avant-garde architecture. He lives in a constructivist apartment in a house in Moscow and works as the deputy director of the Shchusev State Museum of Architecture. Since 2014, he has overseen the collections and archives of the Melnikov House and its transformation from a private house into a public museum. As director of the State Museum of Konstantin and Viktor Melnikov, he also managed the survey before the restoration of the Melnikov House, supported by a grant from Keeping it Modern, an initiative of the Getty Foundation. His book Melnikov House: Icon of the Avant-Garde, Family House, Architecture Museum was published in Berlin in 2017. In addition to his research activities, Pavel Kuznetsov has also been involved in long-distance swimming - becoming the very first Russian to successfully swim across the English Channel (in 14 hours, 33 minutes, 25 seconds).
 
Melnikov House
The Melnikov House, designed by architect Konstantin Melnikov (1890–1974) for himself and his family, is an icon of Russian architectural avant-garde. The experimental cylindrical structure was built between 1927 and 1929 to test Melnikov's concepts of mass-produced housing. Melnikov believed that the essence of his house lies in the balance and equality of weight, light, air, and heat. The original layout, elegant spatial arrangement, and ingenious engineering techniques are combined in a unique architectural form that still looks modern. The house retains some historical elements of the 20th century and also reflects the tragic life of this independent architect in a collectivist society.
 
About the Iconic Houses Association
The website Iconic Houses has simplified life for all fans of modern architecture of the 20th century. Its practical map interface displays dozens of significant modern houses around the world - all open to visitors, and some even allow guests to stay overnight. It is also a list for planning your next trip to a country or city.

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