Lecture: Vladimír lapeta, “Czechoslovakia 1918-1939, The Unknown Avant Garde”

This lecture will present the development of modern architecture in Czechoslovakia between WWI and WWII, when it was a newly founded state. We will follow the progression from Cubism (inspired by Picasso, Braque, and domestic architectural heritage) to Purism and Pietism (influenced by Le Corbusier, Adolf Loos, and the Bauhaus) to the deeper understanding of modern design that was demonstrated in many residential, public, and commercial buildings during the 1930s—in Prague, Bohemia, Brno, Moravia, Silesia, and Slovakia, as well as abroad, in Czechoslovakian pavilions at expositions in Chicago (1933), Paris (1937), and New York (1939).

Vladimír Šlapeta, is currently an HonFAIA professor at the Faculty of Architecture at Brno University of Technology, as well as a Fulbright-Masaryk Scholar at the Cooper Union in New York 1973–1991. He was the head of the Architecture Collection at the National Technical Museum in Prague in 1992 and professor of the Faculty of Architecture in Prague (Dean from 1991–97, 2003–06). In 2006 he was a member of the Faculty of Architecture of the Brno University of Technology as well (Dean from 2006–10). He was a member of the Akademie der Künste in Berlin in 1994, and visiting scholar of the CCA in Montreal in 2000. In addition, he has published many publications and essays, including The Brno Functionalists (Helsinki), Czech Functionalism 1918–1938 (AA London), Czech Cubism (Princeton) etc., awards – HonFAIA 1992, Kunstpreis Berlin 1992, HonFRIBA 1997.

Anyone requiring accessibility accommodations should contact the events office two weeks in advance at 617 496 2414 or [email protected]

Harvard University welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you would like to request accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the Public Programs Office at (617) 496-2414 or [email protected] in advance of your participation or visit. Requests for American Sign Language interpreters and/or CART providers should be made at least two weeks in advance. Please note that the University will make every effort to secure services, but that services are subject to availability.

#GSDEVENTS