| SEPTEMBER - ENJOY EUROPEAN HERITAGE DAYS | European Heritage Days take place every September, opening doors to thousands of monuments and sites - many of which are normally closed to the public. Visitors enjoy free visits, learn about their shared cultural heritage and become actively involved in safeguarding Europe's heritage for future generations. France celebrates the Journées du Patrimoine on 19 and 20 September. Open House London starts 19 September and runs until 27 September, offering films, podcasts and events as well as buildings to visit. Open House Oslo on 21 and 22 September features over 100 private buildings and gardens that are temporarily open to the public. Why not check the websites of Heritage Days and Open House in your own country or city and find some exclusive private homes to visit?
Just two of our personal favourites are the brutalist TRELLICK TOWER in London by Ernö Goldfinger (1975) and VILLA DAMMAN, by Arne Korsmo in Oslo, 1932 (open garden).
And don't forget the Open House Worldwide Festival in November.
You can also decide to explore these houses remotely and travel them online from home. Enjoy!
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| | Welcome Villa Empain in Brussels! | Designed by Swiss architect Michel Polak, Villa Empain is an Art Deco gem that blends luxurious materials, extreme refinement, and sober and symmetrical lines that recall the Bauhaus. Commissioned by Louis Empain in 1930, the Villa changed occupant several times over the years, before being abandoned, partially destroyed and vandalised - then finally restored.
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| | New Centre for Historic Houses of India launched | We are delighted with a new initiative in the field of house museums in India. One of the main aims of the Centre for Historic Houses of India is the development of innovative management schemes for historic monuments and sites with a focus on family owned properties. It provides a platform for the exchange of expertise and ideas relating to historic houses.
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| | Conference Update | After the decision in March to postpone the 2020 Iconic Houses Conference, we have now decided to adjust the programme to an online one. Of course, the conference aims are the same: to bring you insights into Dutch Modernist residential architecture and to strengthen the network of museum professionals who run modern house museums. We will keep you posted in our next newsletters!
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| | An Online Chronicle of the Douglas House | Now that owners Michael McCarthy and Marcia Myers have meticulously restored their Douglas House (by Richard Meier, 1973) on Lake Michigan, they’re seeking to preserve it for posterity. The home is considered a masterpiece of late-20th-century architecture. Thanks to their efforts, in 2016 the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places, worthy of cultural preservation.
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| | Modernism and Refuge Exhibition in Berlin | The Georg Kolbe Museum is devoting its main exhibition this autumn to the extraordinary architectural structure in which the museum has resided since its founding 70 years ago: the former residence and studio of the sculptor Georg Kolbe. For builder-owner Kolbe, who maintained close ties to the modern architecture of the 1920s and its protagonists, the house was closely related to his own sculptural production.
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| | NORTHERN (HIGH)LIGHTS | We continue our journey in the Nordic countries where a variety of wonderful modern house museums are ready to welcome you in Norway, Denmark, Finland and Estonia! Among the 20th-century gems to explore there are several Aalto houses, the futuristic Futuro in Helsinki, or take a trip to Arne Korsmo's magnum opus in Oslo, Villa Stenersen, and make some fascinating discoveries.
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| | CASAS ICÓNICAS EN ESPANA | Our country special on Spain is designed to help you make the most of a week(end) away. If you missed our previous instalments on France, the Netherlands and Germany, you can find them on our homepage. Eight modern house museums are ready here to welcome you! Explore Gaudí in Barcelona, a treasure trove of 20th-century masterpieces, or take a trip to the Basque Country. Or discover local hero Rafael Masó in Girona.
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| | VACANCES EN FRANCE | In France, 13 modern house museum are ready to welcome you! How about visiting a pure Alvar Aalto in mint condition, near Paris? And of course you'll find Le Corbusier's Unesco-listed Villa Savoye among our member houses, along with the less famous, self-built retreat of Jean Prouvé in Nancy. Taste the atmosphere an artists' home and studio in Chana Orloff's atelier in Paris. Or dream away with the playful Maison Bernard on Cote d'Azur.
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| | DUTCH DELIGHTS | From the Amsterdam School to Postmodernism, our 20 Dutch members include wonderful homes by Rietveld, J.J.P. Oud and many more. Several are examples of social housing. The Schröder House is a Unesco World Heritage monument, or spend the night in the Dijkstra House. The private Van Schijndel House is a hidden gem, open for visits by appointment, while the Wall House #2 is a great example of a conceptual home.
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| | GERMAN GREATS | Belgian architect Henry van de Velde has three houses to his name out of the 11 superb member houses in Germany. In Taut’s Home, a Unesco World Heritage monument, you can spend the night. Germany’s hidden gem is Haus Schminke in Löbau, where you can also stay. Haus Auerbach in Jena is a private house that’s open for visits, while in Berlin Georg Kolbe’s house is a great example of an artist’s home and studio.
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| | ICONIC DREAMS - SLEEP IN AN ICONIC HOUSE! | Always wanted to sleep in a museum? Now's your chance! Iconic Houses' members include museum homes that you can rent for a holiday. Imagine having one all to yourself, and getting to know it at your own pace. These houses have wonderful stories to tell. During a stay in one, you'll experience it almost exactly as the original residents did. Most were designed as weekend or holiday homes, meaning that their architects could focus on fun.
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