Docomomo International | Conferences

Seventh International Docomomo Conference

Paris, September 16–19, 2002

Image, Use, Heritage: The Reception of Architecture of the Modern Movement

The analysis of reception was proposed and developed by literature historian and theoretician Hans Robert Jauss, the literary historian and theoretician. He formulated the methodology of studying the circumstances and context which give rise to the creation and production of a work of art, including examination of the opinions and judgments of its critics. By its very nature, this approach stimulates new debates in the field of the architecture of the modern movement. The objective of the conference was to re-examine the interpretations of works and the meaning given to them by the actors who have played a part in their history.

Because it concerned historians, architects, restorers and the general public, the debate put architecture at the center of universal human thought, while at the same time it appealed to the preoccupations of professionals. The conference addressed questions on the meaning of works as revealed by the circumstances of their origin. Other important elements of the debate were the practices generated by specific architects, the strategies of conservation they have required, the enthusiasm or dislike they have provoked and the histories they have produced, notably in the mass media. Points of view from all over the world were represented. This grouping and exchange of opinions emphasized common values, as well as local and national particularities related to modern architecture in its historic and contemporary dimensions.

Read the table of contents of the proceedings of the Seventh International Docomomo Conference: “The Reception of Architecture of the Modern Movement.”