Below is an extract from the new book by the writer. Modernist Travel Guide, Visit the exhibition, featuring nearly 400 of his favorite modernist works in 30 cities around world. Antwerp The following are some examples of how to get started: Buenos Aires You can also find out more about the following: Sao Paulo The following are some examples of how to get started: StockholmSight Unseen published a book on the subject recently.
Since more than twenty years, modernist architecture and design has fascinated me. In order for me to document the unique 20th-century design and architecture, I started traveling to these gems of creativity. I photographed them and shared their histories on my Instagram account. @okolo_architectureAs well as magazines like Picture, World of Interiors. Prague-based Dolce VitaSince 2009, I have been an editor at.
Adam Štěch
Adam Štěch is a Prague-based theorist, journalist, and curator in design, architecture, and the visual arts. He has written two books. Inside Utopia (Gestalten, 2017) and Modern Architecture and Interiors (Prestel, 2020). He has traveled more than 50 nations to document thousands examples of modernist design and architecture.
At the time of writing, I’ve visited almost 50 countries on five continents to explore nearly 10,000 design landmarks—not only offices and houses, but also bars, cafés, galleries, museums, and hotels. My travels to experience these places brings me pure joy, which I hope to share with others through this pocket guide featuring 30 major global cities, each including 10–14 highlights to add to your future travel itineraries.
As a journalist, and as a historian, it was my privilege to be granted special access to some of the private interiors featured in this book. But even for locations that don’t allow public entry—as noted throughout—it’s a privilege simply to be able to stand in the street and admire a beautiful relic of 20th-century architecture, and it’s my privilege to be able to guide you on these journeys.
Bottiglieria Bulloni, Milan
Enrico Prampolini, a futurist designer, created decorative lighting fixtures for Bottiglieria bulloni in 1933. The ceramic mural is still visible today.
Via Lapari 2, Milan, Italy, public space
Struckus House, Los Angeles
Bruce Goff, American master of organic architectural design, left a powerful legacy with this house designed for aeronautical engineering Al Struckus. The final project he built, his only private residence, in California is a playful yet commanding union between space and form within a cylindrical building.
4510 Saltillo Street in Los Angeles, California. Only visible from the street
Sheats–Goldstein Residence, Los Angeles
Perhaps the most emblematic work of John Lautner—and one of the most well-known buildings in Hollywood film and popular culture—is this residence built for artist Helen Taylor and her husband, Paul Henry Sheats. James Goldstein was an entrepreneur who loved architecture and bought the property in 1972. Lautner was allowed to remodel the house and add all the furniture until his death.
10104 Angelo View Drive, Los Angeles, California, may be open upon request; email info@jamesfgoldstein.com
Karolinum, Prague
The new Communist government prohibited modern architecture after World War II. Only a few quality projects originated at that time, among them this reconstruction of the historical Charles University headquarters, designed by Jaroslav Frágner and influenced by Carlo Scarpa’s Venice restoration projects
Ovocný trh 560/5110 00 Prague – Staré Město, Czech Republic, public space
The New Scene of the National Theatre of Prague
Karel Prager, a prominent figure in Czech Modernist architecture and design, employed new technologies and materials for the construction of experimental public and governmental building like this one. It was completed in 1984. Inside, the walls are blanketed with Cuban green marble, and a dramatic chandelier by Pavel Hlava and Jaroslav Štursa cascades down the spiral stairwell.
Národní 1393110 00 Prague – Nové Město, Czech Republic, public space
All Saints Cathedral in Cairo
The concrete spikes that resemble a crown highlight the expressive architecture in this cathedral designed by Awad and Selim Fahmy Fahmy.
5 Michel Luffallah street, Zamalek Giza in Egypt, public space
Palais de la Porte Dorée, Paris
A 1931 Art Deco gem designed by Albert Laprade, Léon Jaussely, and Léon Bazin, with a façade by Alfred Janniot and rooms by Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann and Eugène Printz
293 Avenue Daumesnil is a public space in Paris, France.
