An Avant-Garde Architecture for an Avant-Garde Socialism

Yugoslavia at Expo ’58

Bibliographic Data

ID10073724
AuthorsVladimir Kulić (Florida Atlantic University, corresponding author)
Year2012
Volume47
Issue1
Pages161-184
Publication date2012-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Contemporary History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-0094 • E-ISSN: 1461-7250
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0022009411422367
OpenAlexW1997313854
LanguageEN
Citations received7

The Pavilion of Yugoslavia at EXPO ’58 in Brussels was an attempt to internationally showcase the specific brand of socialism developed in that country since its break from the Soviet bloc ten years prior. That goal was best achieved through the pavilion building, an inspired piece of modern architecture designed by the Croatian architect Vjenceslav Richter, which attracted much positive attention. In most other respects, the presentation was a relative disappointment, failing to engage the visitors in an attractive and well-rounded experience. This article provides an analysis of the conceptualization, development, and reception of the pavilion based on the abundant material from the Archive of Yugoslavia in Belgrade. It argues that Richter’s avant-garde design resonated with the self-proclaimed avant-garde status of Yugoslav socialism, but that its complex connotations, when seen through the lens of the Cold War, were reduced to a mere index of Yugoslavia’s break from the Soviet bloc

Archaeology · Art · Art history · Avant garde · Communism · Conceptualization · Pavilion · Political science · Politics · Socialism · Visual arts · Architecture · Balkan and Eastern European Studies · Balkans: History, Politics, Society · Eastern European Communism and Reforms · History · Law · Philosophy

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub