The Villa Müller ( cs, Müllerova vila, german: Haus Müller) is a

Modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

villa in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

built in 1930. It was designed by

Adolf Loos Adolf Franz Karl Viktor Maria Loos (; 10 December 1870 – 23 August 1933) was an Austrian and Czechoslovak architect, influential European theorist, and a polemicist of modern architecture. He was an inspiration to modernism and a widely- ...

as a residence for František Müller, co-owner of the Kapsa-Müller construction company from Pilsen.Villa Mueller Prague by Adolf Loos
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History

The building was commissioned by František Müller and his wife, Milada Müllerová. Mr. Müller was an engineer and co-owned a construction company called Kapsa and Müller. The company specialized in reinforced

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

, developing new construction techniques. Loos' method of design was also in transition, making the timing of the project appropriate. Soon, the architect Karel Lhota set František Müller up with Loos to design the villa. Lhota also contributed to the design due to Loos' poor health. After the building was completed, Loos celebrated his 60th birthday there with a few friends. The couple freely inhabited the house for eighteen years before Communists seized control of it in 1948. In 1968, after the death of Milada MüllerováUp to this time, she could occupy only two rooms in the villa. the most important parts of the Villa fittings and collections were purchased by the Museum of Applied Arts and the National Gallery.Simultaneously, the house is temporarily taken over by the Institute of marxism-leninism. The Villa was then pronounced a Cultural Monument of the

Czechoslovak Republic Czechoslovak Republic (Czech and Slovak: ''Československá republika, ČSR''), was the official name of Czechoslovakia between 1918 and 1939 and between 1945 and 1960. See: *First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–1938) *Second Czechoslovak Republic ...

. It was used as a storage, library, and later as a location for the institute of Marxism–Leninism. After the fall of

Communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...

in 1989, the house was turned over to the Müllers' daughter, Eva Maternová. She sold it to the City of Prague in 1995, who put it in the care of the City of Prague Museum. The house was restored in 1998 and finally re-opened as a museum in 2000.

Architecture

Known as an innovative landmark of early modernist

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

, the Villa Müller embodies Loos' ideas of

economy An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...

and functionality. The spatial design, known as ''Raumplan'', is evident in the multi-level parts of individual rooms, indicating their function and symbolic importance. ''Raumplan'' is exhibited in the interior as well as the exterior. The exterior displayed Loos' theory discussed in his 1908 essay, "''

Ornament and Crime "Ornament and Crime" is an essay and lecture by modernist architect Adolf Loos that criticizes ornament in useful objects. History Contrary to popular belief that it was composed in 1908, Adolf Loos first gave the lecture in 1910 at the Akadem ...

''". In the essay, Loos criticized decorated surfaces. For the exterior of the Villa Müller, Loos designed a white, cubic facade. He also wanted to distinguish between the outside, where the view could be seen by the public eye, and the inside, the private spaces of those who lived there. Consequently, the interior is lavishly decorated with comfortable furniture and marble, wood, and silk surfaces.

Colomina: space and sexuality

Architectural historian

Beatriz Colomina Beatriz Colomina (born 1952) is an architecture historian, theorist and curator. She is the founding director of the Program in Media and Modernity at Princeton University, the Howard Crosby Butler Professor of the History of Architecture and Direct ...

examined and discussed the Villa Müller in the book ''

Sexuality and Space Sexuality and space is a field of study within human geography. The phrase encompasses all relationships and interactions between human sexuality, space and place, themes studied within cultural geography, i.e., environmental and architectural psyc ...

'' (1992), which focused on the relationships between sexuality and space within the structure. Colomina's essay, ''The Split Wall: Domestic Voyeurism'', discusses the possible purpose of Loos' opaque, covered windows in the house. Colomina includes Loos' idea of a theater box as a claustrophobic space if not for the large, open space to look out on. The theater box could signify power and control inside of the house, according to Colomina. Loos designed a raised sitting area which Colomina interprets as the theater box as well as the 'female' space because of its domestic character. Moreover, Colomina suggests that the 'female' space is considered private and contrasts with the 'male' public spaces of the house. The theater box draws attention to itself, and at the same time the occupant of the box is looking out, the person looking at it views the most intimate space. Therefore, the person in the theater box is objectified.Colomina 1992, p. 317

Footnotes

Notes

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Villa Muller 2000 establishments in the Czech Republic Adolf Loos buildings Buildings and structures in Prague Historic house museums in the Czech Republic Houses completed in 1930 Modernist architecture in the Czech Republic Museums in Prague National Cultural Monuments of the Czech Republic