Villa Rezek by Hans Glas, 1933

The restoration of the house, which is accompanied by a book on Hans Glas, has rescued this explicitly modern building, the architect and the clients from falling into obscurity.

In 1938 Hans Glas was forced to flee Austria, for India, where two public buildings designed by him are to be found in Kolkata. The doctor Philipp Rezek, his wife Anna and their children also became refugees in 1938, just a few years after they had moved into their house. Shortly before a protection order was placed on the house in 2010, the previous owner of Villa Rezek demolished large parts of the interior fittings, which had remained largely in-tact until then. With the enthusiasm of a craftsman, Max Eisenköck reconstructed the interior — from the radiators to the technically innovative, retractable floor-to-ceiling windows. In view of the house’s history and its unique position in Viennese architecture, in view of the wanton recent demolitions and in view of Eisenköck’s feeling for the essence of modernity, everything here speaks for the approach he chose to take.

With:
Max Eisenköck, architect
Ulrike Matzer, cultural scientist and co-editor of the book on Hans Glas

Moderated by
Maria Welzig, Az W