Mapping Lilly Reich

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5209/aris.96371
Keywords: Lilly Reich, Architect;, Designer, Modern Movement, German Werkbund
Agencies: This article is the result of the research developed for the making of the documentary [On Set with] Lilly Reich. The project has been produced by Avelina Prat and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, the institution that convened the award and the first funding body. Likewise, there have been other institutions that have joined as collaborators in financing the documentary, such as the Department of Research, Culture, and Sports (Generalitat Valenciana), Institut Valencià de la Cultura, à MÈDIA (Mitjans Públics Valencians) and The Museum of Modern Art of New York.

Abstract

Lilly Reich’s architectural legacy has been recognized inconsistently by critics. Praise, ambiguities and omissions have shaped the historical account of one of the first women who, with formal training and as a member of the German Werkbund, innovated in the design of ephemeral architecture, interiors and furniture. Through research based on historical archives, this article maps in detail her professional career and achievements –as an architect and designer, alone and in collaboration with Mies van der Rohe– and compares what she did with what was said about her. The research shows that the parallel line between her work and critique vanishes from when she worked in association with a master of the Modern Movement. The study also finds that the history of later architecture did not recognize her work for decades. The closer Lilly Reich got to Mies the more she disappeared.

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Author Biographies

Laura Lizondo-Sevilla, Universitat Politècnica de València

Laura Lizondo-Sevilla graduated in Architecture from the School of Architecture of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) in 2003 and PhD in Architecture in 2012. She has been a Professor at the Architectural Design Department UPV since 2008 and Director of Cátedra Blanca Valencia since 2019. Predoctoral research was done at the Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation, Columbia University, in 2011, and postdoctoral studies were conducted at Central Saint Martins, University of Arts of London, in 2015. She has published her research in relevant journals such as PpA, EGA, ACE, ARQ, Revista 180, VLC Journal, JSAH, BAc, ZARCH, Arquitetura Revista, Frontiers of Architectural Research, and Open House International. She is a recipient of the second edition of the Lilly Reich Grant for Equality in Architecture awarded by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe in 2020. Consequently, she is one of the scriptwriters of the documentary [On set with] Lilly Reich, completed in 2022 and nominated in Premis Berlanga.

Débora Domingo-Calabuig, Universitat Politècnica de València

Débora Domingo-Calabuig is an architect PhD and professor of Architectural Design at the Universitat Politècnica de València. Her interests include the methods, means, and impact of architectural research. Her research focuses on the social consideration in architecture and urban design, particularly on the open design processes of the 60s and 70s and concerning changes in learning spaces and new campus planning. She was Assistant Director for Research from 2012 to 2016 and was Editor in Chief of the “VLC Arquitectura” Research Journal from its launch to 2018. She is a member of the Research Academy of the European Association for Architectural Education, a recipient of the 2020 edition of the Lilly Reich Grant for equality in architecture, and a partner of the ‘NEB Goes South’ Lab. She currently holds the position of Vice-rector for Sustainable Development of Campus at the Universitat Politècnica de València. The functions of her office include planning and launching the university's ecological transition project to achieve carbon neutrality.

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Published
2024-11-11
How to Cite
Lizondo-Sevilla L. y Domingo-Calabuig D. (2024). Mapping Lilly Reich. Arte, Individuo y Sociedad, Avance en línea, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.5209/aris.96371
Issue
Vol. Avance en línea
Section
Articles

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