9. Cooper Union Exhibits the Works of John Hejduk

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is presenting the exhibit, John Hejduk Works. The exhibition highlights seven built works designed by architect, John Hejduk (1929-2000), founding dean of The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture. Included in the exhibit are 43 photographs by Helene Binet, Hejduk’s photographer of record, which explore both permanent and temporary built works including the Berlin Tower, one of his largest built works; the cubist inspired Wall House II; and the Jan Palach Memorial, which was unveiled in January 2016 in Prague, Czech Republic.

In addition, there will be two Hejduk-designed public structures, as part of the New York City Department of Transportation’s Art Program (DOT) installed in Cooper Square Park, which will be on view through June 11, 2017. The Cooper Square Park sculptures, entitled House of the Suicide and House of the Mother of the Suicide, the Jan Palach Memorial, honors the Czech dissident as a “galvanizing force against the communist government in power at the time (1968).” This work has been reassembled in front of The Cooper Union’s Foundation Building, from the original materials fabricated by Georgia Tech students in 1990.

It is worth noting that Hejduk renovated the Foundation Building’s interior (1971-1974), which is his most significant work of architecture in the United States. John Hejduk began teaching at The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture in 1964, and became the Head of the Department of Architecture in 1965. He was named Dean and Professor of the School of Architecture in 1975, and served in that capacity until his retirement in 2000. The exhibit will be on view in the Arthur A. Houghton Jr. Gallery, located at 7 East 7th Street, second floor, to July 30, 2017.