21er Haus
Encyclopedia
The 21er Haus or Einundzwanziger Haus (House 21) is a modernist style steel and glass building designed by Austrian architect Karl Schwanzer
(1918-1975). Originally constructed as the Austrian pavilion or temporary showroom for the Expo 58 in Brussels, it was later transferred to Vienna
to house the Museum of the 20th Century, which explains why it was first nicknamed "20er Haus" (House 20). Between 1979 and 2001, the building also acted as a depository for contemporary art works. From 2009 to 2011, it was remodeled by the architect Adolf Krischanitz
and consequently renamed 21er Haus to reflect the 21st century.
for the national pavilion at the 1958 World's fair in Brussels. In 1955 he was awarded the first prize of the jury, which included Josef Hoffmann
. Schwanzer explained that maximum effects had to be achieved with minimum effort as the Austrian budget was tighter than those of most other countries participating at Expo 58. The starting point was to put man at the centre of cultural and intellectual progress, in line with the event's motto: "Striking a balance for a human world". The building was designed as a lightweight structure, its upper 40 by 40 metre floor, six meters above the ground, resting entirely on four buttresses creating a floating effect. Schwanzer was awarded the Grand Prix d'Architecture for his visionary design. Fritz Wotruba
created the monumental figural relief which was installed in front of the pavilion, for which he received the award for the Expo's best artwork.
Schwanzer's ground-breaking minimalistic design is widely regarded as a masterpiece of modern architecture, created more than ten years before Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
presented his iconic version of flexible interior space and transparent walls in the form of the Neue Nationalgalerie
in Berlin. On 30 January 1958, the daily newspaper Die Presse
described the exhibition hall as "a virtually ideal foundation for a Museum of Modern Art".
to house the Museum of the 20th Century (M20). Hence, the building was widely referred to as "20er Haus" (House 20). Karl Schwanzer adapted the steel skeleton construction to the museum’s purposes: the ground floor was glazed, the courtyard was covered with a roof, all façades were substantially modified, and the whole structure was reinstalled in the Schweizer Garten between Arsenal
and the former Südbahnhof. The new museum was opened on 20 September 1962. It immediately became a hot spot of the Viennese art world.
One of the comments about the institution and its first exhibition, Art from 1900 to the Present, said that the museum represented such a break with the Viennese museum tradition "that one automatically felt as if on foreign territory when first entering the museum". The art historian Werner Hofmann wrote on the occasion of its opening:
at Museumsquartier
in late 2001. The 20er Haus was finally incorporated into the Austrian Gallery Belvedere
in the early summer of 2002. However, the Belvedere museum lacked the financial funds for the necessary restructuring. As a result the building, which is a protected cultural heritage
site stood empty for years.
, a former student of Karl Schwanzer at Vienna University of Technology
. At a cost of 31.9 million euros, the carrying capacity of the steel structure was adapted to the requirements of the building code. The ceilings were cleaned of asbestos
and the original glass roof was made shatterproof. The large window profiles were replaced with energy-saving double-glazing. The work also entailed providing additional space by re-erecting the 75 meter long original porch from the 1960s and by lowering the area in front of the structure, transforming it into an atrium crossed by an access bridge. A six-storey office tower on the former parking lot was added with lettering describing the building's purpose. On 20 September 2011 Federal Minister Claudia Schmied attended the celebration of the completion of the building, following the awarding of the BC21 Art Award for young, innovative artists.
On 15 November 2011, the building was reopened after Krischanitz fitted it out as a museum with well organized exhibition spaces and a cinema. The overall effect is an open museum structure with a total of 2,275 m2 (24,500 square feet) exhibition space on the ground and upper floors. The exhibition space in the basement houses the permanent exhibits from the Wotruba Foundation (with some 500 works in stone, bronze, and plaster, 2,500 drawings, 1,500 prints, and 14 oil paintings) as well as a restaurant and an art studio for children. The Austrian Artothèque, which allows civil servants and publically owned corporations to take out up to four artworks on loan for up to one year, will be located in the second basement and is expected to open in September 2012. The new cinema with the original seating and paneling from Expo 58 is set to open in March 2012.
The museum is a branch of the Belvedere
, focusing on "Austrian art of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and its embedding in an international context". The museum also exhibits the Wotruba Foundation's collection and the Artothek contemporary art collection.
The opening exhibition under the title: "Schöne Aussichten" (fine prospects), which lasts until 8 January 2012, presents artworks from Lucio Fontana, Andrea Fraser, Marcus Geiger, Florian Thorsen, Lois Weinberger, Franz West
und Heimo Zobernig. There will be three large exhibitions per year open five days a week.
Karl Schwanzer
Karl Schwanzer was an Austrian architect. He was an important figure of post-war architecture.-Life:...
(1918-1975). Originally constructed as the Austrian pavilion or temporary showroom for the Expo 58 in Brussels, it was later transferred to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to house the Museum of the 20th Century, which explains why it was first nicknamed "20er Haus" (House 20). Between 1979 and 2001, the building also acted as a depository for contemporary art works. From 2009 to 2011, it was remodeled by the architect Adolf Krischanitz
Adolf Krischanitz
-Biography:Krischanitz was born in Schwarzach im Pongau, Salzburg, Austria. He studied architecture at the Vienna University of Technology from 1965 to 1972.-Academic career:...
and consequently renamed 21er Haus to reflect the 21st century.
Pavilion at the Expo in Brussels
Karl Schwanzer designed the ground-breaking building in 1954 for the Austrian government's design competitionArchitectural design competition
An architectural design competition is a special type of competition in which an organization or government body that plans to build a new building asks for architects to submit a proposed design for a building. The winning design is usually chosen by an independent panel of design professionals...
for the national pavilion at the 1958 World's fair in Brussels. In 1955 he was awarded the first prize of the jury, which included Josef Hoffmann
Josef Hoffmann
Josef Hoffmann was an Austrian architect and designer of consumer goods.- Biography :...
. Schwanzer explained that maximum effects had to be achieved with minimum effort as the Austrian budget was tighter than those of most other countries participating at Expo 58. The starting point was to put man at the centre of cultural and intellectual progress, in line with the event's motto: "Striking a balance for a human world". The building was designed as a lightweight structure, its upper 40 by 40 metre floor, six meters above the ground, resting entirely on four buttresses creating a floating effect. Schwanzer was awarded the Grand Prix d'Architecture for his visionary design. Fritz Wotruba
Fritz Wotruba
Fritz Wotruba was an Austrian sculptor of Czecho-Hungarian descent. He was considered one of the most notable Austrian 20th century sculptors...
created the monumental figural relief which was installed in front of the pavilion, for which he received the award for the Expo's best artwork.
Schwanzer's ground-breaking minimalistic design is widely regarded as a masterpiece of modern architecture, created more than ten years before Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was a German architect. He is commonly referred to and addressed as Mies, his surname....
presented his iconic version of flexible interior space and transparent walls in the form of the Neue Nationalgalerie
Neue Nationalgalerie
Neue Nationalgalerie at the Kulturforum is a museum for modern art in Berlin, with its main focus on the early 20th century. It is part of the Nationalgalerie of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin...
in Berlin. On 30 January 1958, the daily newspaper Die Presse
Die Presse
Die Presse is an Austrian daily newspaper based in Vienna. It was founded in 1946 by World War II resistance fighter Ernst Molden and stands in tradition of the Viennese newspapers "Die Presse" and "Neue Freie Presse" . The paper covers general news topics...
described the exhibition hall as "a virtually ideal foundation for a Museum of Modern Art".
Museum of the 20th century
After the fair, the pavilion was transferred to ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to house the Museum of the 20th Century (M20). Hence, the building was widely referred to as "20er Haus" (House 20). Karl Schwanzer adapted the steel skeleton construction to the museum’s purposes: the ground floor was glazed, the courtyard was covered with a roof, all façades were substantially modified, and the whole structure was reinstalled in the Schweizer Garten between Arsenal
Arsenal (Vienna)
The Arsenal is a former military complex of buildings in the south-east of Vienna in the third district.Several brick buildings in a rectangle layout make up the complex which is located on a bank south of the Landstraßer Gürtel...
and the former Südbahnhof. The new museum was opened on 20 September 1962. It immediately became a hot spot of the Viennese art world.
One of the comments about the institution and its first exhibition, Art from 1900 to the Present, said that the museum represented such a break with the Viennese museum tradition "that one automatically felt as if on foreign territory when first entering the museum". The art historian Werner Hofmann wrote on the occasion of its opening:
"This new building bears the signature of our age, and its spatial layout does justice to the fact that the art of this century displays a powerful and frequently aggressive self-confidence that calls for vastness and openness."
Modern art depository
Between 1979 and 2001 the building acted as a depository for contemporary art works, which were then moved to the newly established Museum of Modern ArtMUMOK
MUMOK is the abbreviation of "MUseum MOderner Kunst" Foundation Ludwig Vienna. It is located in the Museumsquartier in Vienna, Austria....
at Museumsquartier
Museumsquartier
The Museumsquartier is a 60,000 m² large area in the 7th district of the city of Vienna, Austria; it is the eighth largest cultural area in the world. The Museumsquartier contains Baroque buildings as well as Modern architecture by the architects Laurids and Manfred Ortner . The renovation of the...
in late 2001. The 20er Haus was finally incorporated into the Austrian Gallery Belvedere
Österreichische Galerie Belvedere
The Österreichische Galerie Belvedere is a museum housed in the Belvedere palace, in Vienna, Austria.The art collection includes masterpieces from the Middle Ages and Baroque until the 21st century, though it focuses on Austrian painters from the Fin de Siècle and Art Nouveau period...
in the early summer of 2002. However, the Belvedere museum lacked the financial funds for the necessary restructuring. As a result the building, which is a protected cultural heritage
Cultural Heritage Management
Cultural heritage management is the vocation and practice of managing cultural heritage. It is a branch of cultural resources management , although it also draws on the practices of conservation, restoration, museology, archaeology, history and architecture...
site stood empty for years.
Renovation and reopening
On 13 June 2008, renovation work started under the supervision of Adolf KrischanitzAdolf Krischanitz
-Biography:Krischanitz was born in Schwarzach im Pongau, Salzburg, Austria. He studied architecture at the Vienna University of Technology from 1965 to 1972.-Academic career:...
, a former student of Karl Schwanzer at Vienna University of Technology
Vienna University of Technology
Vienna University of Technology is one of the major universities in Vienna, the capital of Austria. Founded in 1815 as the "Imperial-Royal Polytechnic Institute" , it currently has about 26,200 students , 8 faculties and about 4,000 staff members...
. At a cost of 31.9 million euros, the carrying capacity of the steel structure was adapted to the requirements of the building code. The ceilings were cleaned of asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
and the original glass roof was made shatterproof. The large window profiles were replaced with energy-saving double-glazing. The work also entailed providing additional space by re-erecting the 75 meter long original porch from the 1960s and by lowering the area in front of the structure, transforming it into an atrium crossed by an access bridge. A six-storey office tower on the former parking lot was added with lettering describing the building's purpose. On 20 September 2011 Federal Minister Claudia Schmied attended the celebration of the completion of the building, following the awarding of the BC21 Art Award for young, innovative artists.
On 15 November 2011, the building was reopened after Krischanitz fitted it out as a museum with well organized exhibition spaces and a cinema. The overall effect is an open museum structure with a total of 2,275 m2 (24,500 square feet) exhibition space on the ground and upper floors. The exhibition space in the basement houses the permanent exhibits from the Wotruba Foundation (with some 500 works in stone, bronze, and plaster, 2,500 drawings, 1,500 prints, and 14 oil paintings) as well as a restaurant and an art studio for children. The Austrian Artothèque, which allows civil servants and publically owned corporations to take out up to four artworks on loan for up to one year, will be located in the second basement and is expected to open in September 2012. The new cinema with the original seating and paneling from Expo 58 is set to open in March 2012.
The museum is a branch of the Belvedere
Österreichische Galerie Belvedere
The Österreichische Galerie Belvedere is a museum housed in the Belvedere palace, in Vienna, Austria.The art collection includes masterpieces from the Middle Ages and Baroque until the 21st century, though it focuses on Austrian painters from the Fin de Siècle and Art Nouveau period...
, focusing on "Austrian art of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and its embedding in an international context". The museum also exhibits the Wotruba Foundation's collection and the Artothek contemporary art collection.
The opening exhibition under the title: "Schöne Aussichten" (fine prospects), which lasts until 8 January 2012, presents artworks from Lucio Fontana, Andrea Fraser, Marcus Geiger, Florian Thorsen, Lois Weinberger, Franz West
Franz West
Franz West is an Austrian artist.-Work:His art practice started as a reaction to the Viennese Actionism movement has been exhibited in museums and galleries for more than three decades...
und Heimo Zobernig. There will be three large exhibitions per year open five days a week.