Lecture by Tal Eyal at the Tugendhat Villa and film screening

The Weizmann House was designed and built by the world-renowned German architect of Jewish origin, Erich Mendelsohn, between 1934 and 1937 as a private residence for Dr. Chaim Weizmann, who was the first president of the State of Israel, and Dr. Vera Weizmann. The chosen location was Rehovot, near the Sieff Institute, which Dr. Weizmann founded in 1934 (later renamed the Weizmann Scientific Institute). This was Mendelsohn's first project in this country, and his aim was to “build a building that would be Oriental to such an extent that even a European would feel at home inside it.”
The entire site, house, and garden resemble a ship on the sea, with a unique topography of undulating terraces reminiscent of waves. It was designed according to a European model, from the gatekeeper's house through the driveway, to the U-shaped villa built around a pool, which creates the illusion of extended terrain through reflection and provides a cooling effect in the Mediterranean heat. Additionally, there is a small house with a well and open gardens. The villa is a house in the International Style, combining elements of the typical Mediterranean house with a courtyard, as is characteristic of most modern local architecture, which is defined by the harmony of high-quality European design with Mediterranean finishes.

Tal Eyal
Studio Tal Eyal Architecture, based in Tel Aviv, has been specializing in architectural planning in existing urban areas and historically significant building surveys at the communal level since its founding in 2004. The founder and owner, Tal Eyal, is a graduate (B. Arch.) of the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (1994). She worked in the conservation team of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality (1997–2003) and contributed to the design for the nomination of the "White City of Tel Aviv" for UNESCO World Heritage status (nomination in 2003). She received a scholarship from UNESCO for higher education studies in cultural heritage conservation and restoration at UPC in Barcelona (2003). Since 2010, Eyal has been working as an advisor to the Weizmann Institute and is responsible for the heritage restoration of the Weizmann House, which is currently ongoing.
 
Mendelsohn’s Incessant Visions
This award-winning creative film is a tribute to the expressionist architect Erich Mendelsohn. Visionary Mendelsohn, a contemporary of Walter Gropius and Mies van der Rohe, produced works that influenced generations of architects. His story gradually unfolds through a correspondence with Louise, a beautiful young cellist who later became his wife. The film gently breathes life into the correspondence of two passionate artists who support each other through a tumultuous period in history. Mendelsohn’s career followed the trajectory of most Jewish German emigrants fleeing Nazism; he worked in England, Israel, and finally in the USA. Mendelsohn’s drawings pulsate with energy and his buildings are stunning. His earlier work, the Einstein Tower, is one of the most important examples of modern architecture. Critically acclaimed filmmaker Duki Dror skillfully contrasts the architect's original designs with contemporary photographs, adding reflections from architects and locals who inhabit these unique buildings today, as clear evidence of the integrity and timelessness of Mendelsohn's visionary design. 2012 Winner of the prestigious Golden Award (FILAF d'OR) at the French International Art Film Festival.
 
The Third European Lecture Tour of the Iconic Houses Network
The Weizmann House is a member of the Iconic Houses network, which connects architecturally significant houses from the 20th century that are open to the public as house museums. In 2014, the Iconic Houses network launched a new initiative along with four European member houses, aiming to bring an international guest for a lecture tour to Europe. The first speaker was Henry Urbach, director of Philip Johnson’s Glass House. In 2015, we continued and welcomed Lynda Waggoner, the director of Fallingwater and a member of the board of the Iconic Houses network.
The tour was organized in collaboration with Het Nieuwe Instituut in the Netherlands, Villa Tugendhat in the Czech Republic, and Villa Stenersen in Norway. Ungers Archiv for Architectural Research organizes a lecture at the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum in Germany.

The lecture will take place on Friday, May 12, 2017, at 7:00 PM.

The lecture and film will be in English.
Admission is 100 CZK; students and seniors 50 CZK.

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