The exhibition title
Eternity and a Moment
was inspired by a speech delivered by Lech Niemojewski (1894-1952), a distinguished Polish architect, exponent of modernity and insightful researcher of the history of old Polish architecture. His words aptly convey the potential and stability of the independent Second Polish Republic and the short period of time when ambitious visions of a modern, dynamically developing state were being put into place. The position of Polish architecture in the years 1918-1939 was secured by an innovative, technologically advanced building industry, but also by a unique promotional strategy that employed architectural models, photographs and photomontages.
The selection of objects on display sums up the ways in which the country — revived after 123 years of captivity — was represented by means of modernist architecture. It is impossible to discuss Polish interwar architectural design without its photographic documentation produced by leading Polish photographers. The art of buildings is nothing without urban planning, and good urban planning depends on innovative economy. Examples of the Second Republic’s architectural topography selected for the exhibition are mere dots on the densely populated archi-map, an overture to the symphony of pioneering ideas and long-term plans that were being realized with great success.
The Exhibition will be on display January 10th - February 28th, 2018
at the gate of the Embassy building
2640 16th Street N.W., Washington D.C.
