Exhibition Hall, Rome
Body
The influence of Voysey is evident in this design for an Exhibition Hall. The symmetrical gables stand on either side of a central tower crowned with a timber finial. The main entrance is also located within the tower. This use of mirror symmetry—unusual in Kós’s work—can likewise be observed in the Rural House at Szada (1911) and in the unfinished Administrative Pavilion of the County Hospital in Sepsiszentgyörgy.
The puritanical surfaces of the white-painted façades and the reduction of detailed articulation to essential elements—such as the stone arch of the entrance gate, the timber structure of the tower finial, or the window compositions of the gables—represent an important step toward later projects, including the Székely National Museum (1911–1912).
The design was prepared for the invited competition announced for the International Art Exhibition in Rome (submission deadline: 1 March 1910).
First Prize: Guidó Hoepfner and Géza Györgyi
Second Prize: Zoltán Bálint and Lajos Jámbor
Third Prize: Lóránt Balogh
Bibliography
Magyar Építőművészet VIII./12. 1910 december (21-22.)
Gall, Anthony: Kós Károly műhelye – tanulmány és adattár. Mundus Magyar Egyetemi Kiadó, Budapest, 2002 (223.) [1910-5]
Lyka Károly (szerk.): Művészet 9. évfolyam (Budapest, 1910)4. szám / A Műcsarnokból (178-179, I. díjas terv 172.)
