Hermann Czech, 88:

Marriage proposal at the State Prize ceremony!

Major award for architect Hermann Czech, 88

(Bild: APA/MAX SLOVENCIK)

Viennese architect Hermann Czech was awarded the Grand Austrian State Prize 2024 on Monday evening. The 88-year-old used his acceptance speech to surprise his partner of many years, psychotherapist Sabine Götz - with a marriage proposal!

The Viennese architect Hermann Czech has been awarded the Grand Austrian State Prize in recognition of his entire oeuvre. The 88-year-old surprised his partner in his acceptance speech: "Perhaps I can take this award as an opportunity to propose to Sabine Götz - I don't know if it's customary in this context." This earned him the biggest round of applause.

This highest award in the Republic for an artistically outstanding life's work is endowed with 30,000 euros and is awarded on the recommendation of the Austrian Art Senate. "I didn't expect this award - but that doesn't mean I think it's a mistake," said Czech at the ceremony in the Semper Depot. "What I do think is a mistake is that Johannes Spalt, Johann Georg Gsteu and Friedrich Kurrent did not receive the State Prize."

 These architects had preceded him "in the indirect succession of Adolf Loos", he alluded to the justification for the award by the Austrian Art Senate, excerpts of which were read out by the President of the Art Senate, Josef Winkler. "Czech's work is an indirect successor to Adolf Loos. In a comparable way, he succeeds in subtly combining what is historically available with what is used in a contemporary way," it says. He had already found the tone for the renewal of the European metropolises earlier than those around him.

About Hermann Czech

• Hermann Czech was born in Vienna on November 10, 1936, studied architecture at the Vienna University of Technology and later at the Academy of Fine Arts under Ernst A. Plischke.
• Konrad Wachsmann was also an important teacher for Czech, who was soon to work as an assistant to Hans Hollein and Johannes Spalt. "Architecture is overrated", Czech began his polemical text "Nur keine Panik" (Don't panic) published in the "protokollen" in 1971, in which he opposed an architectural attitude aimed at effect and attention, which was actually "public relations work": "Architecture is background", was his once recorded understanding of his work, which was shown in solo exhibitions in London, Basel and Innsbruck, for example, and was on display this year in the exhibition "Hermann Czech: Ungefähre Hauptrichtung" in the fjk3 space for contemporary art on Vienna's Franz-Josefs-Kai. Before 2023, Czech had already been represented in Venice in 1980, 1991 and 2000.
• Czech also became known for a number of gastro-architectures such as the "Kleine Cafe" (1970 and 1974), the "Wunder-Bar" (1976), the "Salzamt" (1983), the now redesigned MAK-Cafe (1993), the "Theatercafe" (1998 and 2010) or the PUNKT wine house in Kaltern, South Tyrol (2005). In 2020, Czech was jointly responsible for the redesign of the Sigmund Freud Museum.
• His architectural signature can also be found in other places in the Austrian capital: For example, he designed the block development at the U3 U-turning station in Vienna-Ottakring (1997), a pedestrian bridge in Vienna's Stadtpark, the Rosa Jochmann School in Vienna-Simmering (1994), the Hotel Messe Wien (2005) and a residential building in the model estate of international architects in Vienna-Hadersdorf (2007).

With his thoughts on the sustainability of building, the "committed pioneer of architecture" was ahead of his time, emphasized Culture Minister Werner Kogler (Greens), who presented the certificate. He recalled that he had been impressed by the underlying considerations regarding the inclusion of the environment at the opening of the Austrian pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2023, which was designed by Czech together with the architecture collective AKT, and pointed out that the new Coordination Office for Building Culture, which had started its work, was in many respects based on Czech's preliminary work.