ARCHITECTURE 58-89: Exhibition opening

The exhibition Architecture 58-89 is held at the Czech Center New York to celebrate the publication of the most extensive publication to date on a subject of pre-revolutionary architecture built from 1958 to 1989. This two-volume publication of nearly 1400 pages is a significant contribution to the discussion of the stigmatized architecture of pre-revolutionary decades in Czechoslovakia.

The main focus of the exhibition is an original audiovisual installation by Vladimir 518, Ondřej Anděra and David Vrbík, which works in an original way with contemporary photographs or 3D models of key post-war buildings realized on the territory of the former Czechoslovakia.

The exhibition opening will take place on April 5, 2023, at 6.30 PM and will be followed by a lecture by Vladimir 518.

1. (main): Jaroslav Paroubek - Arnošt Navrátil - Radek Černý - Jan Sedláček, hotel Praha in Prague-Dejvice, 1971-1981, wrecked 2014 (Jan Sedláček, personal archive of Arnošt Navrátil)

2. Assembly of parts of the Czechoslovak Pavilion for EXPO 58 in the premises of Mostárna Stalingrad, 1957 (archive of Vítkovice Ironworks)

3. Richard F. Podzemný, Podolí Swimming Stadium, 1958-1965, in the backgound statue Sun by Vladimír Janoušek (Zdeněk Voženílek, personal archive of Alice Čermáková)

4. Karel Prager - Jiří Albrecht - Jiří Kadeřábek, construction of the former Federal Assembly building, 1966-1974 (archive of Vítkovice Ironworks)

5. Karel Hubáček - Zdeněk Zacahř - Zdeněk Patrman, television transmitter and hotel Ještěd, 1963-1973 (archive of Vítkovice Ironworks)

6. Věra Machoninová - Vladmír Machonin, department store Prior Kotva Prague, 1970-1975 (reproduction from publication by Josef Pechar, Československá architektura 1945-1977)

7. Alena Šrámková - Jan Šrámek, ČKD Building in Prague, 1974-1983 (archive of Alena Šrámková)

"The overwhelming majority of so-called communist architecture has little in common with this ideology in terms of its formal aspects, yet a layer of negative emotions and misunderstanding still clings to it. Unfortunately, in the long term it has been impossible to find a healthy relationship with this now historical architecture, which is why one important building after another is disappearing from the streets of our cities. If we as a society fail to preserve at least what is left of the quality buildings from the beginning of the second half of the 20th century, we will erase a piece of our own history and cultural memory once and for all," says Vladimir 518, the editor of the project.

The individual parts of the project are devoted, among other things, to the fascinating realizations of the visionary Karel Prager (e.g. the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in Prague at Petřiny or the former Federal Assembly Buildings), the timeless buildings of the couple Věra and Vladimír Machonin (among others Kotva Department store, the Czechoslovak Embassy in Berlin or the Hotel Thermal in Karlovy Vary) or the Liberec-based SIAL - a studio bringing together key architectural personalities such as Karel Hubáček, Miroslav Masák and Otakar Binar (Television transmitter and Ještěd Hotel, Ještěd Shopping Centre and Máj Department store), or the younger generation represented by Martin Rajnis, Jiří Suchomel, John Eisler and many others.

The main aim of the Architecture 58-89 project is, however, to introduce the general public to lesser-known names of the pre-revolutionary creative generations, such as Zdeněk Kuna, Karel Filsak, Richard Podzemný, Růžena Žertová, Stanislav Hubička, Viktor Rudiš, Zdeněk Edel and many others.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Bohemian National Hall, 321 East 73rd Street, New York, United States