Drawing Ambience

The Tchoban Foundation in Berlin presents an exhibition on drawings by famous architects selected by Alvin Boyarsky, former chairman of the AA School of Architecture.

Alex Wall, OMA, The Pleasure of Architecture, 1983

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The exhibition “Drawing Ambience: Alvin Boyarsky and the Architectural Association” shows early works by architects whose names today read like a “who’s who” of contemporary architecture, including Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Daniel Libeskind, Rem Koolhaas and Bernard Tschumi.

Nigel Coates, Ski Station, 1982 — **Top:** Alex Wall, OMA, *The Pleasure of Architecture*, 1983, color screenprint on paper. From the Collection of the Alvin Boyarsky Archive. Courtesy OMA. **Above:** Nigel Coates, *Ski Station*, 1982. Oil pastel, pen and black ink, gold marker ink, and spattered white ink on dark gray paper. From the Collection of the Alvin Boyarsky Archive, courtesy Nigel Coates

The 50 masterworks of contemporary architectural drawings presented have been assembled by Boyarsky himself, the long-term chairman of the AA School of Architecture in London. The second half of the 20th century was a period characterised by accelerated mobility and an international exchange of ideas. This zeitgeist can be sensed in the presented works, most of which were made in the 1980s. This was a time during which the international orientation of the Architectural Association School of Architecture, accompanied by a growing interest in hand drawing, gave a fresh impetus to the search for a new architectural language.

Zaha Hadid, The World (89 Degrees), 1984 — Zaha Hadid, *The World (89 Degrees)*, 1984. Print with hand applied gouache and ink wash on paper. From the Collection of the Alvin Boyarsky Archive, courtesy Zaha Hadid Foundation

The diverse artistic stances, varied techniques, geographic origins of these drawings and their connections to built architecture point to the significance of Alvin Boyarsky’s life-work. The collector was born in 1928 in Canada and studied architecture at the McGill University in Montréal. Following his first experiences of the profession, he completed the postgraduate programme at Cornell University and then taught at the University of Oregon, the Bartlett School of Architecture and the Architectural Association School of Architecture, London, which he later led from 1971 to 1990. Alvin Boyarsky considered that the most important task of a school of architecture was to provoke social criticism. Furthermore, he encouraged the AA’s international outlook and revolutionised the study programme with so-called ‘units’ which could be freely chosen.

Lebbeus Woods, Centre for New Technology, 1985 and Alex Wall, OMA, The Pleasure of Architecture, 1983 — Left: Lebbeus Woods, *Centre for New Technology, Montage 1*, 1985. Marker ink and technical pen and ink with graphite underdrawing and printed collage. From the Collection of the Alvin Boyarsky Archive, courtesy Estate of Lebbeus Woods. Right: Alex Wall, OMA, *The Pleasure of Architecture*, 1983

The AA is justifiably considered to have been one of the most important melting pots of architectural talent and has produced many Stirling and Pritzker prize winners. The renowned alumni of the school include Rem Koolhaas, Zaha Hadid, Nigel Coates, David Chipperfield, Ben van Berkel, Will Alsop and other famous architects. Many graduates returned to the school later as teachers.

Jeremie Frank, The Macrophone, 1981 — Jeremie Frank, *The Macrophone*, 1981. Technical pen and ink, airbrush and ink, collage and graphite underdrawing on paper board. From the Collection of the Alvin Boyarsky Archive, courtesy Jeremie Frank

from 8 July to 24 September 2017
Drawing Ambience. Alvin Boyarsky and the Architectural Association
Tchoban Foundation
Christinenstraße 18a, 10119 Berlin

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Drawing Ambience

The Tchoban Foundation in Berlin presents an exhibition on drawings by famous architects selected by Alvin Boyarsky, former chairman of the AA School of Architecture.

The value of solidity

Innovation and timeless elegance

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