André Bloc
André Bloc (born May 23, 1896 in Algiers , Algeria ; † November 8, 1966 in New Delhi , India ) was a French architect , sculptor and editor and founder of various specialist journals.
Life
André Bloc was born in Algiers on May 23, 1896. In 1898 he moved to France with his parents . Bloc trained as an engineer until 1920 and then worked as an engineer first in an engine factory and then in a turbine factory.
In 1921 he met Le Corbusier , which had a lasting impact on him. He turned to architecture . In 1922 he became editor-in-chief of the journal Science et Industrie , a year later in 1923 editor-in-chief of the journal Revue de l'Ingénieur .
In 1924 he founded the magazine Revue Générale du Caoutchouc . In 1930 André Bloc founded the famous L'Architecture d'Aujourd'hui magazine , which he will head for many years.
In 1940 he began to work as a sculptor. Bloc produced its first large-scale sculptures in Paris in 1949 and 1956. In 1949 a new magazine, the Art d'Aujourd'hui, was founded .
In 1951 André Bloc founded the Espace group with various artists . The aim is to transfer the ideas of constructivism and neo-plasticism to urban planning and social areas. The members of Espace included the artists and planners Jean Dewasne , Etienne Béothy , Jean Gorin , Felix Del Marle , Edgar Pillet , Victor Vasarely and the kinetician Nicolas Schöffer . Espace wanted to emphasize the unity of architecture , painting and sculpture and thematized art as a social phenomenon.
In 1952 the Bellevue house in Meudon ( Maison Bloc ) was designed and built. After that, André Bloc worked mainly as a sculptor and interior designer until 1966 . In 1959 he was a participant in documenta II in Kassel . Bloc has implemented numerous projects, including in Tehran , Nice , Jacksonville and Dakar . His sculptures have an organic, sculptural form that is somewhere between architecture and sculpture .
André Bloc died on November 8, 1966 at the age of 70 in New Delhi.
Exhibitions
- 2006 What is plastic? 100 years - 100 heads - the century of modern sculpture , Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum Foundation, Duisburg
Literature and Sources
- Exhibition catalog: International Sculpture: 1935–1965; Max Bill, André Bloc, Victor Brauner a . a. / Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum of the City of Duisburg, Duisburg 1987
Web links
- Materials by and about André Bloc in the documenta archive
- Literature by and about André Bloc in the SUDOC catalog (Association of French University Libraries)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Bloc, André |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bloc, André Lucien Albert (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French architect and sculptor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 23, 1896 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Algiers , Algeria |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 8, 1966 |
| Place of death | New Delhi , India |