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Breuer in Bristol

RIBA Historical Research Trust Award 2008

 

For a brief period in the mid 1930s Bristol was a key centre for the development of early modern architecture and design in Britain. This was principally because of the commissioning of Hungarian architect and designer Marcel Breuer by the Bristolian furniture supplier Crofton E. Gane.

Breuer was commissioned in 1936 to remodel the interior of Gane's own house, and to design the Gane Company's exhibition pavilion for the Royal Show in Bristol that year. To furnish these buildings Breuer designed several bespoke items of furniture that still exist in Bristol today.

The legacy of this brief period has largely been overlooked in recent years in Bristol, and despite the current increase in new building in the city there is very limited awareness of this earlier ground breaking design.

This project aims to research this history and its contribution to the local, national and international development of Modernism. It will reflect on the current development taking place in Bristol in relation to the design approach introduced over 70 years ago, and will explore the influence of Breuer's work in England on his later career in America. The research will culminate in an exhibition showcasing this important design history.

 

Biography

Max Gane b. Bristol 1985 gained BA Architecture at Brighton university in 2007. He has recently completed twelve months of professional practice in Bristol and is going on to study diploma at London Metropolitan University commencing 2008.

contact: maximum_37@hotmail.com|