The RE.STORATION.2010.2012 exhibition presents the course, idea and selected restoration procedures of the comprehensive monument restoration of Villa Tugendhat and its adaptation to an installed monument of modern architecture – a historical building with recreated interiors. Emphasis was placed on the preservation of the original materials and technical equipment, so that the greatest possible degree of authenticity of the monument is preserved. The goals of the restoration of the building were defined by the architects from the Villa Tugendhat Association: “a) rescue and significant extension of the life of the monument as a preserved original; b) preparation and restoration of the original condition of the house realized in the years 1929–1930“. From the professional point of view, the means of this intention was rehabilitation, i.e. “gentle release of the monument towards its essence [i.e. material and surface value of the original], conservation of the essence and reverent addition of missing parts based on detailed knowledge of the original design.”
The exhibition is conceived as an interactive archive on the technical floor of the villa. It includes, among other things, exclusively exhibited original elements from 1930, found during the restoration of the monument. The timeline informs about their finding, supplemented by a printed construction site journal with a detailed workflow, month after month. With the help of image and text panels, visitors can study individual areas, technologies and procedures of monument restoration. The exhibition is also complemented by 10 short videos mapping the course of the comprehensive restoration of the monument.
The RE.STORATION.2010.2012 exhibition opens the autumn cycle of short-term exhibitions dedicated to the anniversary of the completion of the villa in 1930, RE.FLECTION.TUGENDHAT.90, prepared by the Villa Tugendhat Study and Documentation Centre team with other experts, anachronically presenting selected chapters from Villa Tugendhat history. The cycle is thematically connected to the Mies van der Rohe exhibition in the Brno House of Arts.
Exhibition concept: Iveta Černá, Lucie Valdhansová, Barbora Benčíková, Ludmila Haasová
Architectural design: Studio PIXLE
Graphic design for exhibition and print materials: Studio PIXLE
Photographs: David Židlický
Proofreading: Kateřina Havelková Štěpančíková
Translation: Kateřina Báňová
Exhibitions on the Tugendhat Villa’s technical floor are open from 22 September to 1 November 2020 within the villa’s opening hours without prior reservation.
Admission: 50 CZK
The exhibition was prepared by the Tugendhat Study and Documentation Centre and has been realized with financial support from the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. The exhibition is part of the Villa Tugendhat 90 celebrations held under the auspices of the Czech UNESCO Commission.
