KunstHausWien
Written: Mar 16 '00 (Updated Mar 22 '00)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Beautiful and unique
Cons: None
|
|
|
| AlexG's Full Review: Vienna |
Without consulting the Psychic Network, I will tell you that I’m 99.9% certain that the floors in your house or apartment are flat. What about the windows? Are they of the same shape? Are they horizontally on the same distance from the floor? Most likely.
The lack of fantasy and improvisation in modern architecture has made KunstHausWien one of the most popular Viennese attractions. The house was designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, one of the world’s most famous architects, known for his originality and style like no other. Today KunstHausWien is a museum--the home of the work of Hundertwasser's paintings, drawings, architectural projects (some of which have become a reality). Also, KunstHausWien hosts interesting exhibitions year round. Until May 14th, 2000 you will have a chance to see the exhibition “Masters of the 20th Century--Tapestry,” featuring works of Chagall and Picasso among many others. It is a house not corresponding to the usual cliches and norms, an adventure of modern times, a journey into the land of creative architecture, a melody for the feet and the eyes.
The facade of the house looks like a combination of black-and-white checkerboard and a cow with random black-and-white spots all over the body. The colors and shapes are at odds with conventional architecture. KunstHausWien features: uneven floors, irregular corners, trees on the roof, different size windows placed not next to each other but in arbitrary way--the bastion against the dictatorship of the straight line, the ruler and T-square, a bridgehead against the grid system and the chaos of the absurd.
KunstHausWien is not the only house designed by Hundertwasser in Vienna. And, as you can imagine, one can easily identify Hundertwasser’s work. A few blocks from KunstHausWien there is a block of residential apartments, which is now one of the most prestigious addresses in Vienna. From the outside, the block looks very similar to the facade of KunstHausWien. From the inside...well, as I said, these are residential apartments. One would think that only wealthy people could afford to pay to live in such a famous place. Wrong! The block was specifically built (paid by the Austrian government) for the low-income, lower middle class folks.
Finally, a sad note. Friedensreich Hundertwasser died on February 19th, 2000. He was 72. I hope this review will make you want to learn more about the life of this truly extraordinary man.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
AlexG
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 130
Trusted by: 237 members
About Me:
Alex has a voracious appetite for travel. Travel hasn't satisfied an appetite. It's created one.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.