ARTS AND LITERATURE

Marija Drėmaitė, ARNO’s FUNKtionalism. The Life and Works of Arno Funkas (1898–1957) (Arno Funkcionalizmas. Architekto Arno Funko (1898–1957) gyvenimas), Kaunas: M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art, 2022, 223 pp. English and German translations available

The research study by architecture historian Marija Drėmaitė focuses on the private and creative life of Arno Funkas (1898–1957), architect from the first inter-war generation. His biography is reconstructed purely from his professional records, because Funkas’s personal archive and ego-documents have not yet been found, and may not have survived the Second World War. But something that has survived is the entire body of his architectural works from 1929–1942, ranging from residential houses and interiors designed for the Kaunas elite to public and industrial buildings. These buildings’ stories are encapsulated in their condensed yet revealing CVs. The book is trilingual and richly illustrated with drawings, archival documents, and photographs from the past and present. This architectural history study tells the story of the style of Arno Funkas, who was educated in Berlin and adapted the language of international modernist architecture in Kaunas – that well-proportioned modernist style with original details and the ability to elegantly combine functionality with luxury. At the same time, it is also a story about Lithuanian society in the interwar period, including its development, customs and daily life.

Marija Drėmaitė – architectural historian, and professor at the Faculty of History of Vilnius University. Her research focuses on 20th century architecture, urban modernisation, industrialisation, and culture. She has authored four academic monographs and studies, and is co-author of several Lithuanian architecture guides and co-editor of the series “Architekstai” (Architexts).

Awards

2023: National Architecture Award for theory and dissemination of architecture (Lithuania)