Austrian Cultural Forum New Exhibition Dedicated To Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky: Pioneering Architect, Visionary Activist, Nazi Dictatorship Resistance Hero

new exhibition
Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky: Pioneering Architect. Visionary Activist.

Editor’s note: Readers may remember another exhibition by ACFNY about the fate of practicing lawyers in Germany during the rise of the Third Reich and the Nazi party.  Another exhibition about Nazis was that of Ceija Stojka, survivor of Auschwitz, Ravensbrück, and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps, What Should I Be Afraid Of? 

The ACFNY is pleased to announce the first solo exhibition in the United States dedicated to Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky (1897-2000). Widely acknowledged as one of Austria’s first female architects, she is credited as the inventor of the Frankfurt Kitchen, a women’s rights activist, and a hero in the resistance against the Nazi dictatorship.

In recent years, Schütte-Lihotzky has become a symbol of socially engaged architecture and collaborative, self-help practices, inspiring a new generation of artists, architects, and political activists.

Curated by Dr. Bernadette Reinhold (Senior Scientist at Collection and Archive at the University of Applied Arts Vienna) and Dr. Stephanie Buhmann (Head of Visual Arts, Architecture, and Design at the ACFNY), in collaboration with the Collection and Archive at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, the exhibition delves into Schütte- Lihotzky’s extensive architectural legacy. It showcases original drawings, architectural plans, and models, along with personal photographs and correspondence.

Divided into five chapters that address different aspects of Schütte-Lihotzky’s work, the exhibition illuminates her transnational experiences and professional networks.

By closely tracing her life and work, the exhibition emphasizes her steadfast commitment to social issues and her lifelong involvement in political and cultural movements. In this context, Schütte-Lihotzky emerges as a trailblazing visionary, one who never shied away from directly addressing major concerns such as war, economic crises, escalating social inequality, and the global suppression of women’s rights. Her distinctive fusion of architectural practice and political activism positions her at the forefront of confronting these pressing issues.

For more information about the exhibition, visit our website.

March 12 – May 5, 2024 | Daily from 10 AM – 6 PM | Gallery of the ACFNY | Free admission

Banner Image: Frankfurt Kitchen. Image Credit – ACFNY