The distance of time gives rise to new interpretations of the past. Today, one of the most innovative buildings in the world, located in Liverpool, lives up to its reputation as new generations of architects and art historians study and appreciate it. This is the famous Oriel Chambers, built in 1864 in the heart of the Victorian period, the first building to have facade glazing integrated into projecting windows and supported by an iron framed building structure. It was a revolution that is considered the technological harbinger of skyscrapers in America. Oriel Chambers, meticulously maintained, is listed and originally had offices. It is an impressive combination of neo-gothic aesthetics and technological innovation. The 21st century can once again look back with admiration at the technological advances of the 19th century, which, in fact, laid the foundations of modern civilization. The architect of the building is Peter Ellis (1805-1884), one of the great innovators of Victorian architecture, who left an important work. Oriel Chambers himself had a great influence on New World architecture. Innovations such as metal and glass in building facades, which we identify mostly with the 20th century or even with the Chicago School after 1880, we see them being applied in Great Britain, then the leading power in industry and invention. As a forerunner of skyscrapers, not so much in height but in technology and love for the future, Oriel Chambers is, for all art critics, a pioneer of architectural modernism, partly hidden behind a Gothic Revival façade. In addition, the first skyscrapers in New York during the period 1890-1920 had elements of historical rhythm and plumes reminiscent of Florentine towers. Oriel Chambers met with hostility from his contemporaries. They considered it an unholy and ugly building. Few appreciated the innovation he brought. The British architectural historian Sir Nicholas Pevsner (1902–1983) notes the importance of Oriel Chambers in his classic Pioneers of Modern Design (1936).

Views of the world

NY
City 1929
What the photographer Berenice Abbott (1898–1991) left behind is valuable for an artistic approach to New York as it arose during the interwar period. Berenice Abbott’s New York City Album consists of 266 small format black and white photographs taken in 1929. They are on display at the Met along with historical photographs of cityscapes by Eugene Agee and Walker Evans.

WINCHESTER
Sin in art
A new exhibition at the Arc Museum in Winchester, Hampshire, England, explores the idea of ​​sin as a thematic axis that connects baroque art to our day in an engaging combination. The exhibition is held in collaboration with the National Gallery in London and is curated by Juste Huistra, who specializes in the relationship between religion and art. The arch is located in a beautiful historic building.

SOMERSET
Rodney Graham
At Hauser & Wirth Art Gallery in Somerset, South England, an exhibition by 74-year-old Canadian Rodney Graham attracts the public (until May 8). The artist’s recent work, The Four Seasons, echoes the rural and sometimes pastoral landscape that surrounds the gallery. His photographs are arranged like installations, illuminated by stage illusions. He participates as the hero of the scenes.

LONDON
Kallus and satire
From a small exhibition at the National Gallery in London in Room 46 we are waiting for “The Ugly Duchess: Beauty and Satire in the Renaissance.” The emblem of the exhibition, the famous portrait “The Ugly Duchess” by the Flemish artist Quinten Masseys (1466 -1530). This work is first presented by Leonardo da Vinci’s sister design as a general approach to paradox and the otherworldly.

BOSTON
Napoleon’s horses
The Musée des Beaux-Arts presents drawings by the French artist Carl Verne (1758-1836) on the theme of horses in Napoleon’s army. These exquisite works of art represent the passion for horses as warriors, workers, companions and companions. The French on horseback is an independent chapter in the history of art, connected here with the attraction that the legacy of Napoleon had on the townsfolk and collectors.