On the occasion of its next Very Contemporary Art auction on May 12th, 2021, PIASA will present several lots by the architect Yona Friedman.
János Antal Friedman, known as Yona Friedman, was an architect and urban theorist. A Frenchman of Hungarian origin, he is one of the major figures of mobile architecture and is known throughout the world for his "feasible utopias". Focusing on social problems, he proposes an innovative conception of housing aimed at reconciling the inhabitant with his living environment. He sees the architect as a consultant (and no longer as a decision-maker) in charge of developing the construction of buildings by adapting them entirely to the needs of the inhabitant. Indeed, he wanted to give the user a new freedom by rethinking the notion of mobility. As a visionary, he defends humanist values that are reflected in the field of architecture by self-planning, mobility, project economy and reversibility. Through futuristic concepts such as his Spatial Cities and Continental Cities, he engages in genuine reflection on themes such as spatial planning, collective life, the environment and social imperatives.
Both an architect and an artist, Yona Friedman is recognised as one of the great names in post-war prospective architecture. His work has been exhibited in international institutions such as the Centre Pompidou, the Venice Biennale, and the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine. The Space City is one of the most important projects by Yona Friedman. It is an elevated spatial structure on stilts, with the ability to pass over non-buildable areas and existing cities. In Friedman's words, this technique allows for a new development in urban planning: that of the three-dimensional city; it is a question of multiplying the original surface of the city with the help of elevated planes. The idea was to imagine a concept that would bring together, on the same site, industrial, residential and commercial cities. In order for the inhabitant to make the most of his or her environment, the objective is to make the construction dismountable, movable and transformable at will. Through this project, Yona Friedman proposed to redraw a territorial cartography by creating a city which, in his words, must be a theatre of daily life.
Yona Friedman (1923 - 2019)
Étude de Ville spatiale, 1959
Estimate: 8 000 / 12 000 €
Yona Friedman (1923 - 2019)
Untitled, 2007
Estimate: 8 000 / 12 000 €
Yona Friedman (1923 - 2019)
Structures Moebiennes (study)
Estimate: 8 000 / 12 000 €
