Exhibition. Birkerts – Accents of the 20th Century

Continuing to mark the centenary of architect Gunārs Birkerts (1925–2017), the exhibition prepared by the National Library of Latvia is based on and considers as particularly valuable the exhibition materials created 37 years ago by the Birkerts & Associates office – original exhibition panels, architectural drawings, and models. They characterize Birkerts’ architecture at the peak of his creative career. That is why the Latvian Museum of Architecture was chosen as the venue for the exhibition, as some of the exhibits could eventually become part of its collection. The exhibition is complemented by texts and large-format architectural photographs created in the context of Birkerts’ centenary.

In early 1989, construction of the St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Columbus (US), designed by Birkerts, was completed. On August 4 of the same year, a large-scale exhibition entitled Gunārs Birkerts. ARHITEKTŪRA was opened at St. Peter’s Church in Riga. During the month, it was visited by 28,000 Riga residents and guests of the city, demonstrating unprecedented interest in the author chosen by the Latvian government at that time for the National Library project. This new exhibition highlights this cultural-historical fact, as well as Birkerts’ special attitude towards Nordic architecture and its most outstanding masters.