Print Size: 12" x 18" (Frame Size: 18" x 24")
Shortly after establishing a practice in Berlin in 1919, Erich Mendelsohn was asked to design an astrophysical observatory and laboratory for research into Einstein’s theory of relativity: basically a shell for the exacting requirements of scientific equipment. “You can make designs for the exterior architecture,” he was told “though this won’t be a particularly rewarding job for you.” Mendelsohn, who was closely associated with Kandinsky and other Expressionist painters, designed the building in “an ecstacy of vision,” producing quick dynamic sketches inspired by “the mystique of Einstein’s universe….It was all there,” he said. The building was executed in Pottsdam, Germany in 1921-23 with much of the dynamism of the early sketches. It became an icon of Expressionist architecture and established Mendelsohn as a leader of the Modern Movement. After completion the architect showed the building to Albert Einstein, an avowed architectural conservative. His one-word evaluation uttered hours after the tour: “organic.”
