MIT Press Reprints 1999 Study on Bucharest's Modernist Architecture, Highlighting Regional Academic Neglect
In a 2007 evaluation, Augustin Ioan examines the reissue of "Romanian Modernism: The Architecture of Bucharest, 1920-1940," which was edited by Luminita Machedon and Ernie Scoffham and first published by MIT Press in 1999. While the book, dedicated to "the children of Romania," centers on Bucharest's architectural landscape, it faces criticism for its limited focus and methodological assumptions. Ioan observes that, although it received positive attention in the Times Literary Supplement, it has been overlooked in Romania, highlighting a broader trend of academic disregard for Central and Eastern European architecture. He points out three factors contributing to this oversight and contests the book's assertions, asserting that Romanian modern architecture encompasses more than just Bucharest and the indicated timeframe. Nonetheless, he recognizes the work as a valuable resource, expressing hope that it will motivate additional studies.
Key facts
- The book "Romanian Modernism: The Architecture of Bucharest, 1920-1940" was first published by MIT Press in 1999 and was reprinted in 2007.
- Editors Luminita Machedon and Ernie Scoffham compiled the volume, which includes an introduction by Sherban Cantacuzino.
- Augustin Ioan's review criticizes the book for overlooking architecture outside Bucharest and for methodological biases.
- Western architectural histories by Kenneth Frampton, William J. R. Curtis, and Charles Jencks largely ignore Central and Eastern European contributions.
- Romanian-born artists like Paul Celan, Emil Cioran, Tristan Tzara, Marcel Janco, and Constantin Brancusi are recognized internationally but their local contexts are rarely studied.
- Machedon previously organized a 1994 exhibition and published a 1996 book on Bucharest's avant-garde and modernism, and teaches at the University of Architecture in Bucharest.
- The review argues that modern architecture in Romania became mainstream around 1930 with figures like Horia Creanga and Duiliu Marcu, not earlier avant-garde movements.
- Ioan notes a fragile but growing interest in Romanian 20th-century architecture from publishers like Routledge and MIT Press and journals like AD.
Entities
Artists
- Augustin Ioan
- Luminita Machedon
- Ernie Scoffham
- Paul Celan
- Emil Cioran
- Tristan Tzara
- Marcel Janco
- Constantin Brancusi
- Udo Kultermann
- Anders Åman
- Constantin Joja
- Nicolae Porumbescu
- Sherban Cantacuzino
- Prince G.M. Cantacuzino
- Horia Creanga
- Duiliu Marcu
- Radu Dragan
- Kenneth Frampton
- William J. R. Curtis
- Charles Jencks
- Ernie Scoffam
- William J. Curtis
- Curtis
- Frampton
- Jencks
Institutions
- MIT Press
- Times Literary Supplement
- University of Architecture in Bucharest
- Simetria Press
- Routledge
- AD
- Arhitext
- The Times Literary Supplement
- Institute of Architecture in Bucharest
- AD (architectural journal)
- ARTMargins Online
Locations
- Bucharest
- Romania
- Hungary
- Czech Republic
- Poland
- Eastern Europe
- Central Europe
- Balkans
- Transylvania
- USSR
- South Carpathian
- East Carpathian
- Cambridge, MA
- United States
- Central and Eastern Europe
- Carpathian
Sources
- ARTMargins —
- ARTMargins —
- ARTMargins —