Bauhaus and the White City of Tel Aviv: The plan, the architects, the buildings (1920 – 1948)

This talk will examine Bauhaus architecture and how it travelled to the rapidly growing city of Tel Aviv during the British Mandate in Palestine. We will learn why UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has declared the Tel Aviv: “… a synthesis of outstanding significance of the various trends of the Modern Movement in architecture and town planning in the early part of the 20th century.” The speaker will introduce the architects who adapted new ideas to local cultural and climate conditions creating an architecture for a future nation, and look at examples of their work reflected in urban design, apartments, and public buildings.

Ian Ferguson is a former Canadian diplomat who served in a variety of regions including Latin America, Africa, Middle East, and the United Nations. Following retirement, he obtained his M.A. in Art History from Carleton University in 2014. He is a member of the Board of Heritage Ottawa, and has attended a number of World Art Deco Congresses (Montreal, Shanghai, Cleveland). Last year, he curated an exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives on the multiple works of the German artist Joseph Beuys. He has also authored articles for the National Gallery Magazine and the Journal of Canadian Art History.

This talk is being presented by the Toronto Society of Architects in association with the Architecture Conservancy of Ontario Toronto Branch.

Visit the Toronto Society of Architects web site to register.