Marcel Iancu The beginnings of modern architecture in 1929 - 1938

el Vlaicu Urban Route Parcul Ion Ioanid §ie Zone A 6. Hermina Hassner Villa - 1937 7. Emil P[tra§cu Villa - 1937 Bd. Dacia 10. Clara Iancu Building - 1931 Dumbrava Ro 1. Maria Lambru Villa - 1928 32 Pictor Iscovescu Street 19 Pictor Ion Negulici Street 20 Caimatei Street nei This is one of the last projects that Iancu Dwelling and sculpture studio. Movil[ Ion Viitorului Published in no. 102/1923 Luca Stroici 5 Popa Savu Street Gr[dina c[r designed in . It was also realized Located in the luxurious residential district of the city, a Icoanei oam Salc]milor17 The building, constructed for Marcel Iancu’s wife Clara, was Published in Contimporanul, no. 79, 1929 ron Al. Donici T C[lu§ei Icoanei D after the period in which he had designed Emil P[tra§cu Villa is the last villa that Marcel Iancu tor Ve . Paciurea financed by the architect himself, and from 1931 the Iancu family This is the first villa built by Iancu in the new North residential I.L Pic tenement houses. This house commission built in Bucharest. . C Vasile Las lived there. The Iancu brothers’ Bureau for Modern Studies was area of Bucharest. a O and the banker Hassner’s generous budget, The building comprises two flats and a sculpture ra S.Darvari ltarul probably located on the top floor. There is one flat on each floor. giale tti Maria Rosett aria Rose ui Iancu C[pitanu allowed Iancu the freedom to experiment. studio for his friend, the artist Mili\a P[tra§cu. M Venerei Rumeoara On the ground floor - slightly sunken - there were garages and i Silvestru 16 He also integrated paintings, sculptures and The most interesting part of this building is the Traian service rooms. Iancu was very interested in dynamic and sculptural Popa Petre cubist stained glass windows in the design. double-storey studio. The wall of the studio facing the troici façades, as in Villa Fuchs. C. A. Rosetti Toamnei Sf. Spiridon Jean Louis Above the hall fireplace was located his street is dominated by a huge metal-framed window, Armene Franzelarilor Zece M Tomas Masaryk Luca S famous painting, Jardin du Luxembourg which in the initial project continued along the side alei ese G Vasile Lasc[r 13 D. Onciu .ral P Ip[tescu (1928), while the front door was enlivened façade. Mili\a P[tra§cu was an important avant-garde asc[ 2. Bazaltin Building - 1935 Aron Florian Luca Stroici I.L. Caragia Calderon ilor raporgescu tei 2 Square by one of Mili\a P[tra§cu’s base-reliefs; artist. She was active in the Contimporanul group § Serghiescu § Bati Corbeni 14 12 neither of these survive. and participated in art exhibitions with Marcel Iancu. Company headquarters and block of flats, ground floor Armand C[li Olari Traian §te le Licurg and 7 upper floors. nduziei Sp[tarului v T. Arghezi Bati Popa Rusu

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bridge and road construction) this is counted among Nicola

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ra M Iancu’s rare projects, as it goes beyond residential a sc Pache Bd. Pach m u te S i§ ene architecture. The building, which is altered today, Bor§a N Protopopescu ron 11. Frida Cohen Building - 1935

Avia\iei acu Bd. Dimitrie Pompei Dianei comprised three main functional areas: the headquarters Bd. Poligrafiei Arm I Avram Iancu 17 Stelea Sp[tarul Street ±os. Nordului vi\[ of the company, a luxurious apartment stretching over u Traia S[ge\ii Bd. Carol D. Raco This is the tallest building designed by Iancu and it ±os. Speran\ei ± several floors on the right side, and a tenement building t. Luchian n conforms stylistically to the general direction followed by Parcul B Vasile Lasc[r with two studio flats and two flats on each floor on the d. B Pia\a "Her[str[u" Calea Bucharest . Pia\a §ilor 15 Presei Libere Fabrica de glucoz[ left side. ar Jean Louis CaldeRosetti D It is composed of two units, each with its own main b Calea Mo octor B u V Armeneasc[ Plantelor tefan Mih[ilean Dr. R. CrCaimatei10 C. Kiri\escu ± [ Paleolo staircase. All current floors of each unit contain two flats c[ 9

re istian tefan Popa Soare Pia\a Sl[nic ilor and a studio flat. The façade overlooking the plaza is u s § a Pictor Romano ± cu Trei scaune Cernica rghel 3. Paul Wexler Villa - 1931 gu concave and narrow, the lateral façade being more planar; Universit[\ii Sf. BolintineanuSfin\ilor 36 Grigore Mora Street Pia\a Muzeul Satului Popa Soare ea the particular aesthetic interest of this work resides in the Montreal Calea Mo ]ntuleas M Romulus Published in Contimporanul, no.102, 1932, and in Alberto Sartoris Sl[nic Col\ei Ivo Andric effect of its applied profile. Negustori Expozi\iei Traian (Gli elementi dell’architettura razionale, Milano, 1932) G.ral Flores H tef[nescu Col\ei risto Botev ± M. Georgesc § Vod[ T. ctor u Paul Wexler Villa was built for a rich family in the new residential ±os. Kisele cu Zborului Do |epe district in the north area of the city. It has a functional interior Mavrogheni §cu Vod[ Calea Bd. M P[tra ilor C[l[ra§ space distribution with communicating living spaces and a big § 18 ilor 12. Paul Ilu\[ villa with laboratory - ff B[niei garden terrace and some additional rooms on the top floor. Bd. I.C. F. Robescu alaori [r[

Bd. M V Remus

Calomfirescu Ion Re i irc u i 1931–1935 §ti

lu ea Eliade Significantly, Iancu himself chose this dwelling to be published in lu escu Romulus u

tr[ Calea Mo u mus

s te g § n r[

e le 23 Olari Street a work dealing with modern architecture, a major European r] e V G raian H Cehov C 11 H §kin ion T reference book on architecture. Pu Petricani Vasile Lucaci One-family house, ground floor and two upper floors Bd. Aviatorilor Br[tianu Stelea Sp[taru G. Ver Olte\ului Sf]nta Vineri Armindenulu di Labirint C. Sandu Aldea Av. Mircea Zorileanu i Laboratory - ground floor and two upper floors u Gh. |i\eica i

h Parcul str[ erii re c è a r[ The villa and its furniture were designed for one of "Her[str[u" e oli B[r[\iei oposu M . B 4. Florica Reich Villa - 1936 H Matei Basarab J .S Pia\a e ozart Maxim Gorki J hopin a Garibaldi Iancu’s relatives, the pharmacist Paul Ilu\[. The n M Av. Petre Cre\u escu Bd. M[r[ Negulici M C Arcul de Triumf Bd. Prim[v L 39 Grigore Mora Street Iscovesc o [ Bd. Constantin n c i n [ che Bd. Mircea Vod[ laboratory for pharmaceutical products was built in e tu Alexandru Constantin t i an Prezan § e Published in Alberto Sartoris (Gli elementi dell’architettura u u Pia\a lu ri T Parcul Plu ric P u scLev Tolstoi u Patriei Volga ictor Ro le a El i am dIuliu Barasch 1935. The house has been well preserved with no Charles de Gaulle [ ce iade R te § l B ir [ § razionale, Milano, 1937) verescu tu ira M ti Iscovescu Bd. Corneliu C n m sentA Bd. Cea R v ik alterations, which is so rare among Iancu’s constructions. l A Neg ovs eru U ±o k o i om [c[rescu S Valeriu Brani hal in Gh. ± The villa belonged to the Reich family who were fur §a Uruguay ulici Grigore Moisil n [ Av. M. Popa f]nta Vineri luc y Tuzla

a a nei C rin ulus rugu m are U n Gh. |i\ei erban Vulturilor d ra am Olteni I. Filibiliu gan vu e u Calea Doro h ah merchants. Iancu’s interior design expressed his idea of a e Vidin Doamna Ghica ulari ±os. Kisele R T ozart iul Do

xan §i

d.M aribaldi Te or [m

le M a S a

G Chopin p B A Arom M Texier J.S. Bach ca M. Clucereasa incorporating the applied arts in architecture. o v. Jean r cu Glin i Zambilelor

Bd. Ion Mihala A s k e Teiul Doamnei P e op a a lle op ot c ri T Staroste r tari Tei C[uza Anton Pann e P u ei fan s Grigore Mora ilor Iu ±te m Opanez ban\ilor a ino v. Bd. Barbu V a [p Cantacuz B A liu R L Grigore Mora Art Gallery is now housed on the top floor u i ovic re Glin

baru p i T d o ka araiman dh § rei P n u a nd arian

m . D Ga urc B e A r D Luntrei 13. Poldi Chapier Building - 1935 B t ndo Flo ff urcu Ing. Ba ra s a ru l§ Com a cu u Luigi Galva

v. R of the building. o t sc r G ntine le A Dr. Maximili C. Sibiceanu nsta a n\ilo h. B § o an Popp

erban Petrescu . C Rahmaninov

e l P il Pia\a c N C Negru Vod[ er o n\u Dorin Pavel i 16A Dimitrie Onciu Street che D oba ± scu or r[tianu Vasile Gherghel D ano George C[line Lop[tarilor Popp Cap Pastoru C Bd. Aviator . B u ni Unirii lu ris Sandor Petöfi Em ge Built in the same residential area as the Chapier house, the building a Calafat C.F.R. C. Aricescu te er 8 C V. Dr[ghiceanu 5. Florica Chih[escu Villa - 1930 Izlaz Grigore Mora a M oveni

Emil Pangratti C[uza§i lu Turnul Eiffel Johannes Keple un § lui B c r vu Pu\ul lui Zamfir l was obviously a real estate investment. Its aesthetics are not Barbu Delavran lo e ate Sf. Maria e ze a Muzeul Zam l Bra ro baccian u c Arh. Ion Berinde Traian ru be R an ru Tu S oss nd e lu ini B

a a 49 Kiseleff Highway Bitolia Bd. Lacul Tei he x s c le cu i a i A particularly expressive, the architect merely following a stylistic op E. B itr re§ianu G m os. Colenti P Andrei Mu Av. T. Iliescu h. B[nciulesc otez Du sa

lea ± Bd. Unirii E. Zola E. B Published in Contimporanul, no. 96-98, 1931, and in Architecture Pia\a u G. Demetriad ±tefan hic Abrud u formula that conformed to the general direction of late 30’s Iani Buzoianu Hagi Ghi\[ u Sofia Doroban\ilor Tudor r . G inc M Bd. Ghica Te u a cea n M i c cu Maica Domnului s s . Io e d’aujourd’hui, no. 5/1934 ne Arh ±tefan Negulescu Gh. Matac e ne rd Zablovschi ction N. Io in E o u Ankara . B re Ionescu nt Bucharest modernism. It’s interesting that the executed façade is Aleea Rabat rb A T Ale Av. M. Andreescu u ote xa Sf]nta Treim rigo re This building today holds the residence of the Ambassador of Mincu nd T t Splaiul U ru Calea Doroban a z e nirii Arh. Ion . P different from the design submitted for the building permit. Gala Gala Ote rh M ica a Teiu odrogan ±coala Floreasc Scheiul de Jos arh. G Venezuela. Venezuela §ani l D o na Gh ilor Ispravnicului am ± Built for the Chih[escu family, it is a modern interpretation of the tena a ne os. Kisel A m i

o ar§ovia Doam V R

classical villa theme based on a central plan. Ion Neculce s Parcul Circului ±oituzului

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an Paris Londra Lisabona \ilor H. Pitaru g ru

odro Belgrad u M B P]rg

In front of the house there it was a sculpture by Mili\a P[tra§cu. Maior C]mpineanu arilor Praga Zone B eff ru ca Bd. Aviator nd ne a [resc lex Aleea A Washington Th. Amman Complexul Sportiv Re`nvieri sele Maior Petru G.ral Vl[doia H B "Dinamo" 8. Housing in Trinit[\ii Alley a d Chile i ina de P]i g

i M . Ion M Floreas alea

C Ma§ R

o Teodosie Rudeanu a B net[riei o 25-29 Maximilian Popper Street r aru nu s o Ax. Uric a r Bd. Barbu V[c

m k ff c M d a

Paris Dr. Grozovici n

u n z Sc[rl[tescu a D anul Arbore ilie

o Hatm a iha la r. Iaco

cu Bd. Banu Manta L (Maior Zenovie and Vame§ul Raco\eanu Streets) B i

Pictor Hen\ia tin

Lizeanu n

Bd. Mirc la is lentin e raca§ u o

arines a ch o b F

. C rg 14. Poldi Chapier House - 1929

Cp. O. Coc[r[scu r. C L

D Pia\a ic A In 1922 Herman Iancu, Marcel Iancu’s father, opened an alley in the old Trinit[\ii Street. Marcel Iancu built

. M e x re ±os. ±tefan cel Mare elix C e tefan cel Ma

ea Eliade Victoriei ±os. ± s. C M S o the first modernist house in Bucharest there in 1926, while the remaining part of the allotment was 4 General Ip[tescu Alley Polon[ g. N de . Pam ± teului scu Bd. Iancu B. M fil ±os. § Bd. Nicolae Titule um approved 8 years later. The Iancu brothers designed 13 buildings on this land. These are set back from the Published in Contimporanul, no. 93-94-95, 1930 Gr. Alexandrescu ulea ±tefan cel n Her[str[u u

V

Cehov Lasc[r V. Cr]ngului Ziduri Mo cu . A The house was built for Iancu’s friend, the lawyer Poldi Chapier, a former Hele s ndre ]r\an street line and include an apartment at each level. Parts of these buildings have been demolished and § B xa hocei adea C

le le re d. Al. B r. A G a G §kin A c I. C I. Bogdan R Bd. Lasc[r s Polon[ \i Mare high school colleague and member of the group (1912). u a a other sections restored. Pu za § n Sl[tineanu m tru Dr. Iacob Felix fu i e d Vod[ Caragea Bd. Aviatorilor R A

P ri C [ i A Dr. Felix sp e la Bianu ol ] d lu l. R p alea D Tunari ntiilo Busolei u ru Arm sto d a Pia\a indenulu va Dogarilor Ra d e Cata Au r iito o i S V v Orlando ic Calea Grivi\e re i aniel C[derea Bastiliei Bd rgiu . D ian l V F Herman Iancu Building - 1926 . Al. I. C Calea Vict C Justin [in la u oro Io za V ari Parcul ic n U Parcul erii is u rsu echi tean u re H a ro§ 55 Maximilian Popper Street è . C rio . B ban\ilo E Obor St. Cihoschi tigiilor erzei P oli i Gh. Manu n R[suri B o Frumoas[ olon[ hiris "Her[str[u" M a Leonida C Her[str[u nd Precupe\ii V Built for the architect’s father, this building’s design is Jean Monnet oriei [ elor lui ± Pia\a e viu anu Pia\a Icoanei Maxim Gorki Flu N. Iorga lui nei A 15. Building of unidentified owner - (probably 1935) o rhid r Gh. M N. Iorga Roman[ rd unusual for two . Its alignment was determined by Gh. Polizu Vasile Lasc[r ele Bd. M[r[ Negulici Mihai Eminescu Al. Filipide ilor s. M Occidentu iitoru oam n lui V T § Arcul de Triumf Bd. Prim[v Alecu R i Bd. I. G. Duca Bd. Daci o Avrig 3 Pictor ±tefan Luchian Street Iscovesc 6 a a town hall regulation facilitating the opening of a new Mih Vod[ Titu ih Bd. Constantin Prezan P usso a i E M ai B Gara de Nord Mihai Moxa olon[ m Drago§ Sf. Voievozi ia ine ai This was one of Iancu’s largest projects of this kind, a luxurious ac scu o street, and it must also be attached to an existing C . D A alea M re d ure Episcop Radu sc alea Plevne B C aiorescu u ravu 2 G Cristian Tell Pia\a ara l V structure. Marcel Iancu lived in one of the apartments until tenement house. The entrance is marked by an inconspicuous Pictor Rosentu Lev Tolstoi Ion M d Pia\a Parcul laicu e Cal. G Er. G N rigores ie Bd. Dinic o rivi\ei Lahovary Ioanid § vertical register with small balconies and a base-relief by Mili\a Charles de Gaulle 7 rd Ro Rit 1931, when he moved out to Caimatei Street. Marcel § u cu Vaselor i Bis. Amzei brava Bd. Dacia

Vespasian Mendeleev Bd. Gh. Ma esc Dum ti Iscovescu n i Iancu's studio occupied the top floor of the building, which P[tra§cu. . E §ei Amiral B[lescu Berzei ne u Golescu G J. Michelet Movil[ Ion Viitorului C[lu Avrig Luca Stroici Negulici m ±ontu i c[r mze Gr[dina The building needs structural consolidation and has been Pia\a A Icoanei oa Salc]m was smaller in plan than those below, and does not appear hal escu Budi scu Al. Donici T C[lu§ei §al Averescu Uruguay n ri ulc[ D. Lupu Icoanei D. Paciurea ilor Av. M V Theodor Aman a ea . Ene Mirc § I.L. Caragiale Calea Victo G rv considered exposed to a high degree of seismic risk. teanu Pictor Verona iei a i in the construction authorization. Vasile Las e B[sesti d I gheru d .D Uruguay TransilvanLuigi Cazz Pictor Verona O op §ana S ltarul P luierulu Cri D F n Maria Rosett ui . S The house is remarkable for its artistic qualities, the Calea Doro Maria Rosetti Iancu C[pitanu G.ral Berthelot o Venerei R a ±os. Kisele .ral Dona G um Teheran i i Silvestru lm 5 T Transilvaniei G ie o irid eo 3 ra le en p p a Bd. FerdinanPictor Andreescu architect having exercised great freedom in a house he avilan o osetti ra M §ana Luteran[ s troici Popa Petre ia riei c c n [ Berzei f. S Temi is u

Bd.Mare Alexandrin[ C. A. R Toamnei t[s p S tti Jean Louis iu E Mircea Vulc[nescu se c 4 o Armene Franzelarilor Zece M ari designed for himself. This aesthetic experiment recalls a . R n Av. Jean Texie Masaryk Luca S Popa Savu Popa C. A Tomas ese G.ral Berthelot ±coalei i H G ic . O Franklin Vasile Lasc[r o Starostes tro D .ra Ip[tescu a S re plaster relief he created in Zürich, after 1917. The most asc[ r Grigore Mora c ilor Iuliu Tetrat u i ban\ilor Bd. N. B[l C V. l P Aron Florian L cuzino ±tirbei Vod[ I.L. Caragia Canta Calderon i i ilo ra te iescu ti§ Sergh lu § u C. A. Rosetti a onta p B Corbeni d c ±tirbei Vod[ ru o spectacular feature of the building was the colourism of its façade. The aesthetic qualities expressed in this o N. Fili s Poiana vo a rg Armand C[li ta [ Traian ie ic Virgiliu te Olari o Agricultorilor Burcu o Narciselor e te Licurg p Gandhi N s § le S V Burcu§ ris Dem Dobrescu a T c ati Ing. Bal in [ pescu building, known as the first example of modern architecture in Romania, are not typical of later ff u B lin 16. Alexandrescu Building - 1935 § t . Arg M d Blanduziei Popa Rusu Latin[ n C l pescu cu o i E ta [ s i V te t[s Gh. Br[tianu e .ra cescu n [ Calea M a hezi e Protopo Matei Voievo o G M tirb c development of Modernism in Bucharest. Its polychrome façade and its exceptional shape would have § C ± Ion C]mpine nescu Arcului s Pia\a d ari 179 Traian Street erban Petrescu Italian[ a B i Ion Brezo Bd. Pach e Pache d. S ne Docen\ilor ± i te n Berzei § n e been a confronting sight to the inhabitants of this quiet area, situated near Hala Traian. This building Cob[lcescu Nacu ia Protopopescu ro Marcel Iancu was probably commissioned by (a very famous Bati r rm D P Doroban\ul Ministerulu e [ [ A Avram Iancu o S d ch anu ld c p p ianu s I o a a la O a represents an important phase of Iancu’s architecture, when his artistic interests were more noticeable. iul Ind i V Traia N Bd. Aviator e s Ion C]mpineanu u historian of religions) to design this house for his sister, Mrs. Alexandrescu. itu M L ta S[ge\ii n a

Sandor Pet Porumbaru Emanoil Botanic[ a is C Bd. Carol D. Racovi\[ tirb a n ep ± § c B ile ± ilo is s Speran\ei u t ra ou [ ile n end Calea P eric a t. Luchian Rond[

levnei r i [ u Gr[dina . V a E V sc P Clucerului V. Dr[ghicean ih Built in the old center of Bucharest, the building has one apartment on e n n L a Mece r Grigore Mora n\ei G e . [gu illo i i r C ne r M Duzilor Emil Pangratti Pia\a ilo Ci§migiu Matei M te e o§ lo Jea n o Io a M e Sf. C a nt Docto tasievici o Rosetti im rm ale la fa s o n n B stan a C P ta § V 9. Jacques Costin Building - 1933 each floor. Barbu Delavrancea V. P]rvan tin reanu A te e t Dr. R. CrC C. Kiri\esc p n e Muzeul Zam Parcul Operei e ± fo | baccian Academie uin Paleolo rezoia fa r ar Q r Burghel are u Leonte Anas C g u e pa So d t Po Vod[ os. C a E n istian §

Tuberozelor le C. Mille Pia\a Sl[nic a ilor |epe ± a P ± a e Pictor Ro 5 Paleologu Street öfi mano ro in Budila 1 C f. le t

arinescu Trei scaune v nu ernica gu Universit[\ii S l D n lin

ei i o Sfin\ilor §ului

istor B ie ic ea a Popa Soare Cire T The building was commisioned by Iancu’s brother in law, n v e

§ianu m

Popa Savu Popa Andrei Mure Parcul Eroilor lisabeta ragiu ]ntuleasa le

il l[ Calea Mo§

d. Regina E e N I. B a a a S M R je Pia\a d Col\ei Ivo Andric u o Delea Veche n

Kog[lniceanu Pia\a a m Dr. Gh. M Gh. Dr. E. Zola E. .

Pia\a Bd. M Negustori raian i c T. C T. Jacques Costin. The lawyer Jacques Costin was a fervent

u T A Hristo Botev lu Bd. Eroilor Sanitari § G g G. Demetriad Victor Babe Splaiul Independe Kog[lniceanu ute ni\a Anastasia Eforie G.ral Florescu tef[nesc s Vod[ mb Dom Col\ei ± M. Georgesc § A u Sofia Doroban\ilor n\ei erg D T. ctor u oa ei Z Do |epe A. Paulescu m b Popa Nan n Mavrogheni oru member of the Contimporanul group. He also wrote avant-gard Splaiul Independe e lui D i e n\ei Lipscani Doamn §cu Vod[ Calea C[l[ra le Arh. Ion Minc Ion Ghica P[tra ilor a ri vila rie Lipscani Carada § §ilor V rza na Da lefte O texts like Exercise for the right hand and Don Quijote, illustrated 17. Jean Juster Villa - 1931 N. Ionescu f. E e A S B[niei c Ankara Mihai Vod[ Bl[nari Bd. I.C. F. Ro h b Valaori Rem A Rabat L C escu Ionescu Gion e

le R ea Al ipsc alo e Bd. Eroilor a e by Marcel Iancu and Mili\a P[tra§cu.

xa n Calea Mo R C i m m B[cani alea n us

Mincu d Lipscani fire o 75 Silvestru Street

u Lipscani m r Carol Davila §eu C[l[

u Stavropoleos s s Vasile Lucac

a cu u

i ra

Traian lu i Arh. Ion Ilfov §ilor elari The building to the right is also designed by Iancu. It seems that

r Gabroveni rie s Vasile Lucaci Parcul Zarafi tei ± Br[tianu Stelea Sp[taru This villa was built for Jean Juster, a banker, in the central area of te § Sf]nta Vineri Labiri Modrogan R]ureanu to nt is L. Pasteur Dr. Staicovici Sapien\ei Sm[rdan Izvor ic Po b B. P. H i Basara V the building to the left was built by Iancu as well, though no Venezuela r. L C Mate a Bucharest and was a very luxurious dwelling. Iancu placed the main D ov B oposu le a c [r Matei Basarab a Filitti i [ Francez[ \ie a C i evidence for this has yet been discovered. Iancu lived with his

ilor staircase within the façade, by employing a protruding cylindrical Bd. Na\iun elari Bd. Mircea V Delea Nou[ ± Tonitza ani Dem. Te Arenele B.N.R. ile Unite ± atriei Daniel Ba

Dr. Bagdasar a F P A

ten ran n eculce e cez Iu to family on the first floor of the building and his studio was os. Kiseleff A [ liu n te Cezar Bolliac

rd Splaiul Inde Bd. Corneliu C rani§ volume that plays an essential role in its composition. The initial S P R o penden an f. Apostoli B Popa Nan ineanu \ei Sf]nta Vineri a o Valeriu B r n M §ovia ra m o \ia Var Roma [ld[rari dorescu located on the ground floor. According to some of his Izvor Cluceru Udric s oise Nicoar[ u Turturelel ru B ru C c I. Filibiliu Vulturilor lu rclan Anestinelor formula had a canopy, demolished in 1977 after the earthquake. iste O

Parcul cu Platani a h Vulturilor lte od[ peran ni §i s r. L Halelor r S

ien M[mulari D V]n[tori M. Clucereasa o contemporaries’ reminiscences, the walls of his flat were Dr. Rainer C[uza aris Dr. G P Palatul Justi\iei A r nto

D or Theodo P Londra r. A n P . G. Danielopol l. V R Apolodo an covered with frescoes and the furniture was designed by Iancu Modrogan Belgrad itzu om Vod[ n Dr. Maximili

Maior C]mp niceanu Sf. Apostoli Pia\a Negru an Popper Praga P u Parcul cu Platani Unirii op himself. Finally, the façade looks entirely different from the one r pe Bd. Aviator d r n ±o C[uza§i 18. Solly Gold Building - 1934 a s Bd. Unirii ex . P Traian Al an submitted for the authorization permit. Aleea d Washington uri Bd. Unirii hiulamila Antim Ivireanu 34 Hristo Botev Street Pia\a Rodiei This address is mentioned as the administration office of H i Bd. Ion Mihalache Dr. G Bd. Libert[\ii lie po Alba Iulia ga Built in 1934, this is a small, luxurious tenement house with agi M S itro plaiul Unirii J la Contimporanul and also in building permits for the houses built u l M lu B sti\iei a n e eorgescu D four flats of different sizes. The plan of the tenement is an a B ian Caloian Jud e G rin uc by Iancu after 1934. ia oscu cate L nu Calea eorg B irregular pentagon with three of its façades aligned to the aris Ioni\[ Cega G f. E R d \ia S . B Monet[riei P a en d u Sc[rl[tesc u n Goga reb Dr. Iacob Felix bastia V 11 Bd. Octavia streets; the flats are placed around the main central o is

Bd. Banu Manta Londra Iu En[chi\[ d ta ictor H n [ P nie Calea Du Sirenelor nus Bd. Regina Maria nite staircase.It is probably one of the most spectacular buildings

ra U tele U a ca§ cip V]c[rescu §ti Emil G]rleanu de A Prin erban Vod[ e C § erna § designed by Marcel Iancu.

Sabinelor ± it C ti Louis Blank Louis u Dr. C. Cara Pia\a Justi\iei za Pana

u Argentina V r §

tagului Muzelor o Bd. M[r[ d Alexand rca Calea ucu l

ir [ a Victoriei B ru M u

Mexic Sab c F inelor ie nu Calea Rahovei n oruzzi a B ra n Olim ia ic d D

tem to Gramont Iu G . M ra d

1 h. P i Alexandru S n pulu ie T Pa se 1 a de Hunedoara rd irce M o Pascal Aristidep c T[b[carilor Vla oruzzi

Bd. Iancu reo\escu n sta heorghieni buc i o C rani rie G § C Verzi erva Vlad Jude\ul Po a orului

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n a Dim A laret g Bd. George Co b i [t T[utu mboldt a d escu P V tera§ Vl a t deserves mention because it represented Iancu’s decisive step towards modernism. It is actually ironic that the critical ambience of Bucharest in the 1930s, when Iancu and his movement. As a member of the Dadaist group, Iancu conducted his first The urban itinerary Marcel Iancu (Janco) - the beginnings of modern architecture in The Fuchs villa was also one of the very rare cases in which details concerning the architect- modernist fellows protested against deplorable systematization, is to an extent being experiments in collage, abstract relief and sculpture. These works are considered among Bucharest was published in conjunction with the project Marcel Iancu (Janco) - the architect. The Urban route client relationship are known, including the latter’s influence on the project. repeated nowadays. Among the buildings that have suffered are those which were built in the most courageous and original experiments in abstract art. project is implemented by E-cart.ro Association with the support of the following partners: The In an interview published in 1930 in Rampa magazine, Iancu declared: the period between the wars – including Iancu’s houses. During this period the artist came into contact with the most important personalities of Simetria Foundation for Urbanism and Architecture within The Chamber of Romanian Architects, “The first modernist house in Bucharest was also the first of this kind in Romania. I built it for Many buildings situated in the areas where Marcel Iancu’s houses are the international avant-garde of , and Germany. The European Center of Culture in Sinaia, Australians Studying Abroad in Melbourne, Ra\iu Marcel Iancu a wine merchant who happened to read foreign art magazines and seemed to enjoy new located were demolished during the communist period and after 1989. Foundation UK, The Romanian Cultural Institute, C[rture§ti Book Stores. The project constitutes an interdisciplinary research of Marcel Iancu’s architecture. architecture. He told me he had one million lei and a building lot and would give me a free Many of those which were not demolished are nevertheless in a very Along with Hans Arp, Alberto Giacometti, Baumann, and Tauber, Marcel Iancu formed The project has benefited from the financial support of the Administration of the National Cultural hand. All he wanted was a modernist house.” bad state of preservation. Buildings like that designed by Iancu which the group Das Neue Leben in 1918. The group held a series of exhibitions, lectures and The beginnings of modern architecture Fund, Visual Arts and Architecture area 2008. The novelty of this design drew the public’s attention and shocked many people. In the same is located on Pictor ±tefan Luchian Street are in urgent need of manifest-demonstrations in the cities of Switzerland. in Bucharest 1929 - 1938 interview Iancu recalled that: structural consolidation. Moreover, the social and legislative Concept/ Project Coordinator: Doina Anghel “The house I built in that area was a sensation. The priest, the policeman and the people situations of these buildings reflect closely the historical and political After a brief period spent in France, Marcel Project Manager: Angelica Iacob were convinced that I had erected a laboratory which was out of place in their events of the last 75 years. First, most of the buildings’ Jewish Iancu returned to Bucharest. From 1921, for Research Coordinator: Doina Anghel neighborhood”. owners suffered violent Legionary persecution (the extreme right ten years, together with , Iancu Researchers: Ana Maria Guguian, Angelica Iacob, Mihai Pl[m[deal[, This urban route constitutes an introduction to Bucharest’s modern architecture, through the The critics, inspired by the people’s reactions, were ironical and skeptical about this kind of party) around the end of the 1930s, and certain houses have was the editor of Contimporanul avant- Augusta Milena Pop, Silvana Râpeanu work of Marcel Iancu (1895-1984), one of its initiators. new architecture: witnessed bloody scenes (as Jacques Costin house). Iancu himself garde magazine, in which he promoted his PR: Veronica Leca The itinerary comprises two main zones of Bucharest, the North and the Center of the city, “The neighbors can’t understand why instead of the traditional windows the house has but was forced to go into exile in Palestine, in 1941. aesthetic ideas. Contimporanul was Research consultancy: Alexandru Beldiman, Mariana Celac known in the ‘30s as the Yellow sector and the Black sector. one window, covering the whole width of the façade, like a morgue display window. Instead After World War II and the installation of the communist regime, published weekly between 3 July 1922 and Edited by: Simetria, E-cart.ro of one attic window, usually placed in the roof, there are three, as if there were first class most of the proprieties were appropriated by the Communist 7 July 1923, and monthly between April Graphic Design: MBStudio - Marius Marcu-Lapadat, Octavian Carabela Photos: Octavian Carabela, Angelica Iacob, Mihai Pl[m[deal[ This selection of buildings includes 18 houses and blocks that are emblematic of the State, through the Nationalization Law (no. 119, July 11, 1948) 1924 and January 1932. Mili\a P[tra§cu, Translation: Angelica Iacob, Christopher Wood beginning of modern architecture in Bucharest, drawing attention to this very interesting and the Decree of April 1950, which listed buildings to be Marcel Iancu – B. Fundoianu, , Ion C[lug[ru, Photografic credits: The National Museum of “layer” of the city. The buildings have been designed by Marcel Iancu, sometimes with the Jacques Costin nationalized (“buildings owned by former industrial , M.H. Maxy, and Victor The Library support of his brother Iuliu. Together they owned an architecture office called the Bureau of entrepreneurs, former landed gentry, former bankers, former Brauner were among frequent contributers Bucharest’s Town Hall Archive Modern Studies. Because most of the important business men and other elements of the high to the magazine. Under the auspices of the The National Museum of Art of Romania buildings have been changed in a major bourgeoisie”). In some situations, the owners had to accept tenants in their own houses. publication were organized intensely Editura Simetria way, it is necessary to compare present Most of Iancu brothers’ clients belonged to this category. Their buildings consequently promoted individual and group exhibitions. images with original ones. suffered changes brought about by the nationalization process and were also ‘transformed’ For example, a large international Special thanks to: The National Museum of Art of Romania, The Chamber of Romanian Arhitects, socially. ±erban Sturdza, Christopher Wood, Irina Cajal, Elena Fluera§u, Daniel Nicolae, Cristina Caute§, Thus, the thematic map is illustrated with This can be observed particularly in those areas where many buildings were demolished Codru\a Cruceanu, Adrian Notz, ±tefana M[rmureanu, Monica Grigore, Ramona Mitric[, drawings and documents published in during the communist period, for example around the Herman Iancu house, located on Irina Ionescu periodicals of the time (1924-1938). Maximilian Popper Street. Printing house: S.C. COLOR DATA S.R.L. www.colordata.ro Documents selected from the Some houses and apartments have, in recent years, been affected by the development of Copyright: 2008, E-cart.ro, Editura Simetria construction authorizations preserved in legislation concerning propriety and, in keeping with the Restitution Law no. 10 of 2001, Marcel Iancu – All rights reserved. Bucharest’s City Hall Archive and images have been returned to their owners. Fuchs Villa cover of Contimporanul, October 1925 This is a non profit publication printed in 5000 copies. from periodicals of the time have been Architecture drawings, published in Contimporanul, 1925 added, in order to give a clearer represen- tation of the buildings’ initial aspects. An important reference was the research exhibition was set up in December 1924, in S I M E T R I A included in the catalogue Marcel Iancu which artists from all over Europe Centenary 1895-1995, Simetria, Bucharest, cabins in an ocean liner, while the garage looks like a local branch of the central participated. From 1925, Contimporanul 1996, coordinated by Anca Boc[ne\, crematorium.” broadened its spectrum, publishing special Nicolae Lascu and Ana Maria Zahariade. It is noteworthy that all buildings constructed before 1934 by Marcel Iancu were signed, in editions accompanied by programmatic The route offers you a chance to explore the building permit, with the name of another architect (usually Constantin Simionescu). articles devoted to fine arts, architecture, Bucharest’s urban and social history. It also Marcel Iancu only gained the right to use his own signature in 1934, when he was accepted sculpture, crafts, and to personalities such as provides tools to evaluate contrasts into the Chamber of Romanian Architects. Constantin Brâncu§i. Media partners: between ‘20s and ‘30s architecture, and the The first modernist buildings designed by the Iancu brothers were built in 1926-1927. communist and post-communist styles. Iancu published a series of drawings and Suchard Pavilion, published in presentations of buildings he had designed in The words of Marcel Iancu, concerning Contimporanul, 1926 Marcel Iancu – Bucharest, and articles about urban planning, Bucharest and its utopia are still as The Sciences and Voyages Journal, 1932 Ion Vinea architecture and art in the pages of the persuasive today as they were in the past: magazine. “I feel it’s imperative that Bucharest should be reconstructed; I have tried to sketch a new urban orientation that can be perceived as utopian. After a journey to , to The editorial staff of Contimporanul In fact, urbanism is an art that should scrutinize into the future. The city builders lacking fore- Germany (where Marcel Iancu might magazine was housed on Imprimeriei sight will be always left behind real life.” (Towards an Architecture of Bucharest, Bucharest, 1935). have seen certain achievements of the Street, no. 53 (the building no longer “… We undergo a stage of full recovery. The buildings in the commercial center grow higher Bauhaus school) and France (where he Painter, graphic artist, architect and exists today), and the administration and higher, the old and uncomfortable houses make room for central “blockhouses”, while met Robert Delaunay), Iancu returned theoretician, Marcel Iancu (Janco) is one was located on Trinit[\ii Street, where the very few courtyards and gardens vanish every minute …” to Bucharest and designed two houses of the most important personalities of Marcel Iancu lived for a while (the on Trinit[\ii and Ceres streets, and a current name of the street is In 1935 attitudes to Bucharest’s urban future were very optimistic: pavilion for the Suchard factory at the avant-garde movement. He was Maximilian Popper). “… Luckily, Bucharest is a young town, at the beginning of its urban growth, and thus spared Târgul Mo§ilor (an old fair of Bucharest). born to a Jewish family in Bucharest, in of the exaggerated architectural development that led to unhealthy and overcrowded From the early 1930s, the Iancu 1895. His work can be divided into three By 1941, when he left Romania, Iancu Western towns during the last century… Should we follow the same chain of mistakes that brothers’ Bureau for Modern Studies major periods: participation in founding had pursued an effervescent artistic Western countries already have experienced and finally learnt their lesson?” received plenty of commissions. Mass media representatives and fellow architects thus career, both in architecture and “… What we can do in Bucharest today, cannot be achieved in the future. began to pay attention to Iancu’s architecture. In January 1931, Contimporanul published a and promoting the Dadaist movement painting. Together with his brother Modern style demands modern urban planning.“ letter addressed to Marcel Iancu by the young architect G. M. Cantacuzino, who had just from Zürich; leading the avant-garde Iuliu he built 40 modernist houses and “… Thus in 50 years, Bucharest will turn into a happy, healthy town with gardens, a garden-city returned from studies in Paris. This letter is a declaration of commitment from G. M. group of Contimporanul in Bucharest; blocks in Bucharest. His career as with parks and palaces… Every age has its own picturesque landscape and, no matter how Cantacuzino and represents the first public recognition of Marcel Iancu’s work voiced by an and engaging in reviving the artistic life architect blossomed in the '30s, when pathetic ruins may look, we vote for the present, colorful life and its picturesque ambiance. We architect: he was already very popular in avant- have no time to lament over the past; our duty is to see what we can do about the future...” “…You were the first to turn your back on the sterile, exhausted mentality in this country. In of Israel. In 1983 he helped found the garde arts media, as a painter, In Urbanism, by no means , an article from 1932, published in Ora§ul (The City), our chaotic, town ruled by mediocre and Balkan-like chaos and “petty triviality” as the poet Dada museum in Ein Hod which bears journalist and graphic artist. Iancu underlines his trust in a visionary attitude, leaving behind the past and its nostalgias: said, your healthy houses come up as healthy premises for a healthy future, his name. He finally settled in Israel, where he “… Our city, the capital of our country, is summoned to take up a European form and goal… when vigorous activity is not hindered by idle admiration of the past.“ founded the artists’ colony of Ein Hod ... The modern house is just one facet of the new interior life organization, tightly intertwined The most original aspect of Marcel Iancu’s architectural work comes from his duality as a in 1953, devoting himself to painting. with urbanism. The essence of the whole new architectural problem lies in the balance and painter-architect. This feature is recognizable especially in the plastic solutions of his façades. Janco Dada Museum in Ein Hod near Marcel Iancu was part of a group that centred on Simbolul (The Symbol) magazine, along coordination of exterior and interior values.” (Contimporanul, September, 1931). The art critic Sandu Eliad wrote the most insightful remarks on Iancu’s architecture: Haifa holds an impressive collection of with and Ion Vinea during his high school years in Bucharest At the same time as the proclamation of his esthetic program in Contimporanul, Iancu “None of Marcel Iancu’s houses seem to look alike, though they have the same architectural his works. (1912 to 1913). published many articles in periodicals such as Ora§ul (The town), Arta §i Ora§ul (The Arts and basis, that is, a strict observance of the laws I have mentioned above (city regulation, physical laws of the material, technical possibilities and the economic demands). The diverse interplay Text by Doina Anghel After completing high school, Marcel Iancu left Romania for Zürich, together with his of volumes, the daring rhythm of voids and compact walls, the alternation of verticals and Marcel Iancu – brothers Iuliu and George, in order to study architecture. He was an associate of Tristan horizontals, although derived form the arbitrary dictates of the requirements of the interior, Hans Arp Tzara at the Cabaret Voltaire in Zürich during . The nucleus formed at all owe their symmetrical and asymmetrical equilibrium and architectural playfulness to his Cabaret Voltaire in 1916 (along with Hugo Ball, Emmy Hennings and Hans Arp) founded artistic sensitivity alone. Furthermore, the successful integration of the building into the atmosphere of the street and Drawings for Villa and Cinema landscape is due to his being an Marcel Iancu – Mili\a P[tra§cu, accomplished colorist.“ oil on canvas, In the circle of Ora§ul (The City) 1925-1930 publication, whose members numbered Sandu Eliad, Cicerone Theodorescu, and D. Anagnoste, Drawings for a country house Iancu was seen as: “the Contimporanul, 1931 Romanian architect who Urban route enjoyed the most enviable the City) in which he strongly promoted modernist ideas. reputation in the world of Iancu accentuates the connection between modern architecture and avant-garde European modern architecture. experiments, fully aware of his own contribution to the artistic avant-garde movement: When he returned to Romania Marcel Iancu “Modern architecture followed cubism.” He equally identifies strong ties with Dadaism, the his celebrity was already esthetic movement to which he ascribes the idea of interconnections between abstract art recognized. Being the leader of and architecture. He payed special attention to the interior design of modern buildings; in his the avant-garde group of The beginnings opinion, the characteristics of a modern interior are synonymous with the goals of “the new Contimporanul, Iancu remains aesthetics”. This interest in interior design is reflected in some of his works included in this the initiator of modern thematic map. Romanian architecture, a of modern architecture Iancu introduced a new kind of modern residential architecture to Bucharest, the modern complex artist who brings new villa, built for a bourgeoisie with progressive views. The houses benefited from a kind of and essential ideas. He is a real in Bucharest comfort that “pays no tribute to wealth”, as Iancu put it. revolutionary.” (Ora§ul, 1934). The circle of Simbolul, 1912. From left to right: Samuel Rosenstock (Tristan Tzara), unknown, Although the Villa Jean Fuchs (27 Negustori Street, 1927-1929) is severely altered, it Marcel Iancu, Iuliu Iancu, Poldi Chapier, Eugen Iovanaki (Ion Vinea) 1929 - 1938