The exhibition Loos and Pilsen was opened in the Pilsen House in Brussels

For the second year in a row, the LOOS AND PILSEN exhibition is traveling through world metropolises. Starting in Tel Aviv, it continued through New York, Vienna, Paris, Tokyo, and Munich to Brussels, where it is now on display at the Plzeň House. The West Bohemian Gallery in Plzeň prepared this exhibition for Czech Centers in 2020 on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Adolf Loos's birth. The aim of the exhibition was to present Loos's unique work in the interiors of Plzeň abroad, as Plzeň is the city with the second largest number of his realizations after Vienna. The author of the exhibition is Petr Domanický, an architect and curator of the architecture collection at the West Bohemian Gallery in Plzeň. The project was financially supported by the city of Plzeň.
The exhibition opening took place on February 9, 2023, at the European Office of the Plzeň Region in Brussels. Visitors were welcomed by Petr Vanka, Deputy Governor for Regional Development, IT, and European Affairs, followed by speeches from Pavel Klucký, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Kingdom of Belgium, and Kristýna Halounová, Director of the Czech Center in Brussels. Ondřej Kozibratka thanked for the cooperation, and Gabriela Darebná, both from the West Bohemian Gallery in Plzeň, spoke about the exhibition.
The multimedia exhibition is divided into three parts. The introductory part presents the world-renowned architect Adolf Loos, his life story, and his work in Plzeň. Through historical photographs and texts on large-format panels, the author of the exhibition highlighted the main aspects that made Loos's work timeless. The next part of the exhibition focuses on the stories of Plzeň investors of Loos's realizations, whose fates were often tragically marked by World War II. Most often, they were wealthy families of merchants and industrialists, such as the Hirsches, Becks, Krauses, Brummels, Vogl, and Semler families. The last part of the exhibition provides insight into Plzeň's Loosian realizations. Impressive large-format photographs of the interiors in their current post-renovation form directly invite visitors to come to Plzeň. The exhibition is complemented by interactive screens offering more views of the interiors, as well as period photographs and other historical documents. The conclusion of the exhibition is dedicated to the search for the fates of the original owners and their descendants.
The project was created in collaboration between the Czech Centers and the West Bohemian Gallery in Plzeň with the support of the city of Plzeň and the organization Plzeň-TURISMUS. In September of this year, the exhibition will also be on display in the mazhauz of the Plzeň Town Hall.