On Saturday 28th February AA Membership will host a special Saturday Gallery talk in the AA Front Members’ Room of the exhibition Jan Kaplický Drawings , a collection of work by the infamous Czech architect, himself an AA Unit master between 1982 and 1988. The talk will be led by British architect Amanda Levete & former wife of Kaplicky who was co-director of their practise Future Systems, responsible for award-winning and internationally recognised buildings including Selfridges department store in Birmingham and the media centre at Lord’s cricket ground which won the prestigious Stirling Prize. Levete’s current architectural practise, AL_A, have also designed the exhibition.

Jan Kaplický Drawings presents work by the Czech architect Jan Kaplický (1937-2009) – a visionary designer with a passion for drawing as a means of discovering, describing and constructing. Through drawing he presented beguiling architectural imagery of the highest order.

The earliest projects date from the early 1970s when, for Kaplický, drawing was essentially a speculative pursuit. Whilst his days were spent working for other architects, during evenings and weekends he designed and drew at home. His architecture at this time was the plan and the finely detailed cross-section. Never satisfied, he constantly developed and honed his graphic language, perfecting the technique of the cutaway isometric which became his trademark.

In 1979 Kaplický founded Future Systems with David Nixon. Clients included NASA, for whom they produced design studies for the International Space Station. Ten years later a new partnership with Amanda Levete prompted Future Systems to build – and with building came a new creative discipline. The Media Centre at Lord’s Cricket Ground, winner of the 1999 Stirling Prize, was the last project that Kaplický drew entirely by hand. From then on, formal drawings were done with computers by others and he took delight in sketching.

Kaplický was one of the world’s last great architectural and artistic draughtsmen, upholding a heritage that has its roots in the early Renaissance. If this remarkable body of work has one central message, it is that drawing as an art and a discipline must not be forgotten.

Jan Kaplicky Drawings.

Curated by David Jenkins.
Exhibition design by AL_A.

Dates.- 28/2 - 27/3/2015. Exhibitions are open Monday to Friday 10:00–19:00, Saturday 10:00–15:00.
Venue.- Front Members' Room. 36 Bedford Square Fitzrovia, London WC1B, United Kingdom.

Exhibition supported by.- the Kaplický Centre, Oaks Prague, Vorwerk & Co., Prague Mayor Adriana Krnáčová, City Hall of Prague, Czech Centre London and The Embassy of the Czech Republic in London.

Read more
Read less

Jan Kaplický Czech architect who lived between 1937 and 2009, during almost all his life he resided in United Kingdom due to the fact that he left his country of origin because of the Prague Spring. He developed his professional career in London with the studio that he established with David Nixon in 1979 called Future Systems. His organicist architectural style was an inspiration for many.

Among his most valuable projects, the Selfridges Building in Birmingham, the Maserati Museum in Modena or the Media Center in the Lord's Cricket Ground stadium in London. This project was the one because of what he won the Stirling Prize in 1999. He also has several RIBA Awards.

Read more
Amanda Levete is a Stirling Prize winning architect and founder and principal of AL_A. She trained at the Architectural Association and worked for Richard Rogers before joining Future Systems as a partner in 1989, where she realised groundbreaking buildings including the Media Centre at Lord’s Cricket Ground and Selfridges department store in Birmingham. Amanda is a trustee of leading social innovation centre the Young Foundation and has served as a trustee of influential arts organisation Artangel for over a decade. She is a regular radio and TV broadcaster, writes for a number of publications, including the New Statesman and Prospect, and lectures worldwide. 
Read more
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...