The event, timed to coincide with the centenary of the master's birth, is intended to remind of Ruf's outstanding contribution to the development of German architecture in the post-war period. His buildings continued the tradition of the Bauhaus, presenting a variant of the international style. At the same time, Zep Roof paid a lot of attention to the problem of harmonious coexistence of buildings in the style of modernism and historical buildings. An example of this approach - his administrative complex "New Maxburg" (1953-1957, together with Theo Pabst) in Munich - the architectural historian Nikolai Pevzner referred to the outstanding examples of the coordination of the new structure with the "context".
Also, Ruf's works contributed to the formation of a new image of Germany in the 50-60s: his German pavilion at Expo-1958 in Brussels (1956-1958, together with Egon Eiermann) was supposed to represent the country as a modern state open to the world. The same role was played by the Chancellor's villa in Bonn (1963-1964), which not only became a symbol of the new German republic in the eyes of its citizens and world leaders who visited the Chancellor in this residence on official visits, but also contributed - thanks to its position of a "landmark" building - acquaintance of ordinary Germans with the ideas and forms of modernist architecture.
Sep Ruf (1908-1982) was born in Munich, where he graduated from the Higher Technical School of Architecture in 1931. He maintained contacts with Walter Gropius, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and other Bauhaus leaders. This communication influenced both the creativity and the pedagogical practice of Rufus, who taught at the art academies in Nuremberg and Munich.
Its main buildings were built in 1950-1960s, when the architect worked in Bavaria and western Germany. In addition to the buildings already mentioned, the best works of Ruf include the complex of the Academy of Arts (1950-1954) and the new wing of the National Museum of Germany (1953-1976) in Nuremberg, the villa of the future Chancellor Ludwig Erhard in Gmund (1954-1955), the Max Institute for Physics and Astrophysics Planck and the Werner Heisenberg Institute of Physics (1957-1960), as well as the Church of St. John Capistrana (1957-1960) in Munich.
The work of Zep Ruf is not so well known to the general public in comparison with the works of his contemporaries - for example, Egon Aierman, since during his lifetime the architect always avoided hype and publicity, despite working on orders that attracted public attention. The exhibition at the Pinakothek for Contemporary Art, organized by the Architectural Museum of the Technical University of Munich, should eliminate this "historical injustice".
The exposition presents the most important works of the master in the form of original layouts, photographs and drawings, supplemented by archival documents and video materials.
The exhibition will run until October 5, 2008.
