obituary

arq (2015), 19.1, 911. Cambridge University Press 2015

Dalibor Vesely:

David Leatherbarrow 19342015
No answer is the term Dalibor Vesely
often used to summarise what recent
thought had to say in response to one or
another of the difficult and decisive
questions that face architecture, cities,
and our lives within them today. It is
also the reply many will give to the
question why now, why this unwelcome
silence from a voice that still had so
much to say? No answer . Resignation
wasnt intended with his use of this
term; instead, an invitation to thought,
to think again. The questions that
motivated his work survive his death,
for they were not only his but ours, such
was his grasp of contemporary
conditions, his penetration into primary
issues. Facing his themes without him,
resuming the enquiry into the city and
its culture, architecture and its
articulations, or technology and its
mixed blessings, means not only
thinking with him but beyond him,
accepting the fact that his work is
unfinished and ours continues. The
answer to his silence cannot be No
answer. Yes, the conversations he
sought so passionately and enjoyed so
fully have come to an end. All we have
1 Dalibor Vesely
now are some memories and a body of
writings, texts now seen anew, all
together, because nothing more will be creative expression, and a sense of an orientation toward the good.
added. Perhaps the questions he asked common purpose. Hardly inflammatory principles, but
bear witness to his legacy no less It was in Prague that he met and nevertheless ideas that were
truthfully than the writings. attended the seminars of the Czech renounced by the functionaries who
philosopher Jan Patocka. While sought to implement Brezhnevs
Prague, the city of his birth, served widely influential there and doctrine in occupied lands. Patockas
Vesely throughout his life as an elsewhere in Europe, Patockas death in 1977 resulted from a brain
emblem of the continuity of teaching career was a painful haemorrhage suffered under police
European culture, its heritage, struggle, one that gave intellectual interrogation, preceded by ten weeks
promise, and task. Other capitals and moral orientation to Veselys of intense persecution. By this time
fascinated him, too: Vienna and own life and work. Under the Vesely had already emigrated to
Paris, also London and Berlin, but corrosive influence of successive Britain. But his teachers life and
none of these indicated so clearly totalitarian regimes first Nazi, then lessons remained with him, and not
what he would have described as the Communist Patocka was free from only him. When Vesely introduced
real possibilities for the creative censorship and could teach as he himself to the philosopher Paul
transformation of modern chose for only eight of his forty-two Ricoeur years later, the very first
civilisation. Europe was,for him, active years. As one of three mention of Patockas name brought
both an idea and a living reality, the spokesmen for Charter 77, he had tears to the French philosophers
continuance and renewal of which argued that political freedom eyes. No less emotional was Vesely
required disciplined reflection, included personal responsibility and when he told this story.

doi: 10.1017/S1359135515000317 obituary arq . vol 15 . no 1 . 2015 9

10 arq . vol 19 . no 1 . 2015 obituary

Much more promising and no less Vesely, but one manifestation architectural work they had guided
influential were his teachers early perhaps one of the most articulate at the Architectural Association
years. In 1934, the year of Veselys manifestations of the richness of School in London was Architecture and
birth, Patocka read at the World European culture. When the Continuity (1982). Between 1962 and
Philosophical Congress in Prague a organisers of the Central European 1968, Vesely also visited London on a
lecture written by his own teacher University sought his advice on their few occasions. In addition to curiosity
Edmund Husserl, also Czech, and curriculum, he recommended about the architecture being
founder of the phenomenological concentration on baroque culture. developed there, a more personal
tradition, the style of thought Vesely After his academic training in concern motivated the visits: his
brought to architecture. The mutual architecture, Vesely worked with a younger brother Drahosh, with
respect between the two number of the leading Czech modern whom he was always close, was a
philosophers was profound. As a architects: Josef Havlicek, Karel postdoctoral fellow, later a physics
sign that Patocka was heir to a rich Honzik, and Jaroslav Fragner. Much professor at Oxford University. After
intellectual tradition, Husserl gave later, he would return to these figures the end of the Prague Spring in 1968,
his student a desktop lectern he had and this architecture, also that of when a return to that city became
received from Toms Masaryk, the Pavel Jank, in a paper that reassessed impossible, England became the
founder of modern Czech the nature and meaning of what is permanent home of both brothers.
democracy. Patockas own writings, commonly called Czech Cubism. In In the years before the Velvet
often circulated samizdat, developed his early years of professional work in Revolution of 1989, his distance from
Husserlian ideas, together with architecture, he also practiced stage Prague was a source of deep regret for
those of his other teachers, Henri set design, examples of which, he Vesely, however of which he mostly
Bergson and Martin Heidegger. once admitted, had appeared in some kept silent.
When Vesely attended the Patocka operatic productions. In 1962, he London held the promise of a
seminars he was among artists, continued his academic work in stable base of operations. Among the
philosophers, poets, and Munich, where he had contacts with colleagues he first met there were two
playwrights, including Vclav Havel, the art historians Hans Sedlmayr and with whom he collaborated in
future president of the country. The Hermann Bauer, key figures in the different ways for several decades:
interrogative habit of mind Vesely study of baroque and rococo art and Joseph Rykwert and Alvin Boyarsky.
exhibited throughout his life was no architecture. While there he also Rykwert created and led a new course
doubt exemplified by many in this studied with the great humanist in the History and Theory of
circle, certainly that of its leader. Ernesto Grassi, who had been one of Architecture at the University of
Husserls reply to Patockas request Martin Heideggers students. 1962 Essex. Vesely and Rykwert co-taught
to come to Freiburg to study with seems also to have been the year of the seminar from its earliest years to
him in 1933 contained the following Veselys first lengthy publication at 1980. Boyarsky was Head of the AA
condition: that you truly wish to least the earliest that has appeared in School where Vesely led a diploma-
understand and that you bring no English a study of Czech secular level studio during the same ten-year
preconceived philosophical buildings, usually called castles, from period. These were intensely creative
convictions. Reversing the roles of the time of the Middle Ages to the and productive years of teaching. The
the clear and obscure twentieth century. That text ended in Unit system at the AA allowed Vesely
reconsidering what had been taken a way that anticipated much of his and a sequence of teaching
for granted was for Husserl later work, particularly the theme of colleagues to pursue design work at
philosophys first step, as it was for continuity. He offered a critique of the urban scale in several London
both Patocka and Vesely. so-called purism in restoration locations, while the Essex
Dalibor Veselys formal education practices: erasing historical programme the seminars of which
was not, of course, in philosophy; he accumulations in order to simulate were mostly held in London in
studied architecture, engineering, original appearances rendered the various locations allowed him to
and art, obtaining both professional works themselves lifeless. pursue his work in the philosophical
and research degrees. He received his Veselys deep concern for art in its and historical dimensions of
PhD from Charles University, having several forms was not only academic, architecture. Dawn Ades, a specialist
researched Central European nor did it begin with his formal in surrealist and dada art was also at
baroque architecture. His early study. His father was a leading Essex. Their friendship and
interest in the work of Kilin Ignc painter among Czech modernists. collaboration continued for many
Dientzenhofer, Balthasar Neumann, Late in life, he fondly recalled hours years, the most influential outcome
Johann Santini-Aichel, and Fischer in his fathers studio. Surrealism in of which was the exhibition titled
von Erlach, and later that of Guarino both its Czech and wider European Dada and Surrealism Revealed, held at
Guarini and Francesco Borromini, manifestations remained a lifelong the Hayward Gallery in London in
continued throughout his life. A preoccupation, one that coupled 1978. A widely-read issue of the
friendship developed over many fascination with critique, the latter a magazine AD, titled Surrealism and
years with Mojmir Horyna, a matter of principle for him because Architecture and guest edited by Vesely,
profound scholar of Santini-Aichel, the encounter with reality, always was another influential outcome. In
was very important to him, as was bitter for Andre Breton and the poets the early years of this decade of
his long and very close association and painters he promoted, was, teaching, he also developed
with Werner Oechslin, to whose Vesely maintained, inescapable collaborations in architectural
annual Barocksommerkurs in in architecture. practice, with figures such as James
Einsiedeln Vesely made regular After Munich, he spent extended Stirling and James Gowan.
contribution for a couple of decades. periods in Paris. While there in 1968, Vesely believed that advancements
In the months before his death, he he met with members of the in thinking and understanding
was assembling and revising his Situationalist Group. His set of depended greatly on dialogue.
many papers and lectures on colleagues called themselves the Intellectual preparation seems to
baroque architecture, rethinking Continualists. With that name in have been somewhat less important
and enlarging those texts as chapters mind it is not surprising that the title than cultural background; but most
for his next book. Baroque was not a he and Mohsen Mostafavi chose years important of all was a double
category of architectural style for later for the summary catalogue of commitment: to the expression of
 obituary arq . vol 19 . no 1 . 2015 11

ones own point of view and a University of Pennsylvania, Peter Carl country, although he never practiced
corresponding willingness to listen collaborated with Vesely in the that religion in his adult years. He
and learn from another person with development and teaching of this once asked this author if he believed
similarly strong convictions. Vesely course. Wendy Pullan joined them in God. Limiting the ensuing pause to
was particularly good at expressing and succeeded Vesely as co-director no more than a few moments he
his own point of view, but that didnt after his retirement. Throughout his answered his own question with the
prevent him from listening to and two decades of Cambridge teaching observation that a world as rich and
later selectively adopting alternative Vesely also led design studios, beautiful as ours makes one wonder
ideas and interpretations. Among the sometimes in collaboration with While the subject of transcendence,
conversations he started in those Peter Carl, other times with younger or what he called primary order,
years several continued and co-teachers, who themselves occupied his attention for years and
remained important to him for developed under his guidance. Thus was addressed in a number of his
decades. The interlocutors included: at Cambridge, as at the AA, Vesely not writings, he was no less concerned
Kenneth Frampton, Alan Colquhoun, only taught architecture students a with secularisation. The shelves of
and Robert Maxwell; slightly later, practical and intellectual discipline, books in his large personal library
Robin Middleton and Peter Carl. His but also taught teachers, and did so that were dedicated to religion and
students from these early London as Aristotle recommended by myth were aligned with those that
years took part in comparable example. He also taught outside of addressed the history of science and
discussions, a number of whom also Europe. In the 1970s and 1980s he the philosophy of technology.
remained in close contact: Daniel was a frequent visitor to Penn State Despite his lifelong dedication to
Libeskind, Alberto Prez-Gmez, Eric University. In 1976, he taught courses urban culture and both the principle
Parry, Robin Evans, Homa Fardjadi, at Princeton University, where he and practice of dialogue, Vesely was a
Mohsen Mostafavi, Helen Mallinson, developed friendships with both man of great personal strength who
and the author of this obituary. Such Anthony Vidler and Michael Graves. enjoyed solitude. Only half-jokingly
lists could be extended at some He also had a regular commitment he often reminded his friends of
length, for Veselys teaching was no at the University of Pennsylvania, Pascals injunction against leaving
less welcoming than challenging for running a seminar in that home. Music, mainly from the
a very great number of people. universitys PhD in Architecture baroque period, was a much-loved
The theme of sharing, not just of Programme. While there he companion from the time of his
ideas in dialogue but of all that we resumed contact with Rykwert, who youth to his last years. Strings were
value in life became an important had in those years moved to his passion, with an obvious
theme of Veselys teaching and Philadelphia. At Penn he met and preference for the violin over the
writing. The topic had one had several enjoyable exchanges viola, if thats a fair inference from
manifestation in his rather early with Karsten Harries, who often the fact that the violin case was
embrace of ecological thinking, on visited there from Yale University. He generally left open in his workroom.
the premise that scarcity and poverty also collaborated occasionally with For a number of years he was a
are not overcome by abundance but Marco Frascari and very closely with member of a quartet that met
by justice. An even more striking this author. irregularly. Mostly he played on his
evidence of his commitment to the When Veselys major work, own, he said, but every now and then
principle and ethos of sharing was a Architecture in an Age of Divided for one friend or another, giving the
topic that appeared with increasing Representation: Creativity in the Shadow performer and listener equal
frequency in his writings: of Production was released in 2004, it pleasure.
communicative space. Similar was announced as a long-awaited Vesely left behind a large literary
themes had, of course, been taken up book. Its genesis and development estate, a considerable portion of
in the philosophy of Jrgen were concurrent with his Cambridge which remains unpublished. He is
Habermas. But the thinker whose teaching and echoed that coupling survived by his brother Drahosh
work exercised the greatest influence of the productive and philosophical Vesely, also by three former wives,
on this dimension of Veselys writing dimensions of architecture. Many of Blanka von der Becke, Jana Vesely, and
and thinking was Hans-Georg the books key concepts human Efrossyni Pimenides. What might be
Gadamer, the principle proponent of situations, the tension between called his extended family numbers
philosophical hermeneutics. Vesely embodiment and articulation, many colleagues throughout the
established both a working communicative movement, and so world, also many former students,
relationship and warm friendship on were equally apposite to project and still more readers. Those whose
with Gadamer over many years, as a making and historical-philosophical lives were enriched by knowing him
result of frequent visits to Heidelberg study. It was a well-received book, personally will never forget his
University and the philosophers also widely read. Vesely was exceedingly acute mind, surprising
private home. particularly pleased to see it appear memory, great learning, and
The Essex course and AA teaching in Czech translation. disarmingly delightful wit. His jokes
were followed by Veselys engagement Among the many awards and and riddles always left those who
with the University of Cambridge, honours he received throughout his heard them with a smile, and fairly
where he taught from 1979 until his life, a few were personally very often no answer.
retirement. He was attached to significant. In 2005, he was recipient
Emmanuel College, where he served of the Bruno Zevi Book Award david leatherbarrow
as Director of Studies and was later granted by the International
made a Fellow of the College. An Committee of Architectural Critics. David Leatherbarrow is Professor of
equivalent to the Essex course was One year later, the Royal Institute of Architecture and Chair of the Graduate
established in the Department of British Architects honoured him Group in Architecture at the University
Architecture at Cambridge, again by with the Annie Spink Award for of Pennsylvania School of Design,
Vesely and Rykwert. It was called the Excellence in Architectural Philadelphia.
Graduate Programme in History and Education. And in 2015, he was made
Philosophy of Architecture. After an Honorary Fellow of the RIBA. Illustration credits
Rykwerts retirement from Vesely expressed pride in the fact arq gratefully acknowledges:
Cambridge and move to the that he was raised in a Catholic David Leatherbarrow, 1
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