Conference, exhibitions: New Ornament and Organic Architecture – photos: Kós Károly Egyesülés, Tamás Bujnovszky; Budapest Architectural Prize 2009; Light Ornament: Sokszem

Text: György Radványi, György Szegő
Photos: Balázs Irimiás, Péter Mátyási, Dorottya Nagypál, Edit Pálinkás

The Association of Hungarian Architects (MÉSZ) was invited to organize an architectural festival by the Hungarian Institute in Paris with events such as an international conference of architects, Hungarian historic and contemporary architectural exhibitions, outdoor shows, joint programmes for French and Hungarian students as well as creative weeks. Participants of the opening ceremony were greeted by András Ecsedi-Derdák, the manager of the Hungarian Institute in Paris and Ernő Kálmán DLA, the chairman of MÉSZ. Louise Cox, the chairwoman of UIA and Albert Dubler, chairmen of UIA Region II. praised the merits of the organization of the Architectural Festival. The exhibition was opened by Paul Quintrand architect-professor, a member of Académie d’Architecture and honorary doctor of BME (Budapest Technical University). The trustee of the exhibitions was György Szegő, the editor-in-chief of the periodical Magyar Építőművészet.

György Radványi

Presenting contemporary Hungarian architecture and the achievements of the organic trend, this exhibition simultaneously diplays the characteristic architecture of the country and some of the emblematic examples of Hungarian Art Nouveau. As a part of proto-modern processes, the disputes over the ornamentation of 19th century architecture were generated by Karl Bötticher’s The Tectonics of the Hellenist Culture. Ornamentation played a symbolic role in his architectural theory, which was attacked by Bekleidungstheorie, the famous theory by Gottfried Semper also teaching in Vienna who prioritized the functional, space-creating aspect of ornamentation. The theoretical dispute focussed on the architecture of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy with the opposing fronts headed by Viennese Otto Wagner and the Hungarian Ödön Lechner after Lechner answered Wagner’s views he stated during his visit to Budapest. In memory of this cultural dispute our exhibition displays designs by Ödön Lechner, Károly Kós, Géza Maróti Géza and other great representatives of Art Nouveau.

György Szegő