Well, to be frank, this isn’t really a photo booth. When we met Gottfried Böhm on one of those bitterly cold January nights in Berlin, it was well below zero and it would have been too cruel to pull the nonagenarian Pritzker Prize winner into the dark, freezing photo booth across the street. Instead, we slipped into the nearest “off-space” we could find – the tiny storage room of the Aedes gallery (where he was about to open his latest exhibition “Visions”) – to ask him a few questions.
From a distance it’s a bit difficult to imagine Gottfried Böhm “retired.” Does this really exist for you: retirement?
(Laughs) That’s very nice of you. No, I can’t imagine Gottfried Böhm in retirement either. I’m happy when I have work. Otherwise I meddle in my sons’ affairs: recently I helped my son Peter with a competition.
Herr Böhm, first of all, congratulations! Tonight you are celebrating not only the opening of your most recent exhibition, but also your 93rd birthday.
Yes, thank you.
Of your four sons, three are architects. You were clearly successful in demonstrating that leading the life of an architect is something quite desirable.
My father Dominikus was also an architect, as was my grandfather Alois. It seems to run in the family. I’ve always wondered why three of my sons become architects. It’s nice, but I don’t exactly understand why they chose to do it. And while the fourth, Markus, studied computer science and geology, he is now working with buildings as an artist, and has also contributed to several of my projects. So he has also joined the club. Of course he is by nature someone who understands building and the job of an architect very well. So perhaps it’s not so big a jump for him to develop in that direction.
In your biography, the Pritzker Prize you were awarded in 1986 has always been given great importance. Was this honor really so important and make a great difference in your professional life? Did you receive more commissions as a result?
The Pritzker Prize was a huge surprise and a great honor. But a major impact? Probably not, I think. Perhaps the Pritzker Prize made me a bit more self-confident. But economically, I don’t think it played such a big role. After all, we had already made a name for ourselves and had our commissions – which we continued to work on.
Gottfried Böhm (*1920) is an architect and sculptor, who began his career after World War II in the architectural firm of his father, Dominikus Böhm. Following in his father’s footsteps, he started by building churches, of which he has realized nearly 60 until today. He became famous for his sculptural style, using primarily concrete for his expressionistic forms. Many of his buildings became icons of 20th century architecture, such as his pilgrimage church in Neviges (featured in uncube No. 01) and the city hall in Bensberg. On 23 January 2013 he turned 93, celebrating this with the opening of a new exhibition in Berlin entitled Visions.
Is there anything missing in your expansive life’s work? Is there something that you would still like to have built?
Many of my designs have not been built. That’s always a disappointment. But no, in general, I am quite satisfied with everything I was allowed to build. On the way here today, I stopped in Potsdam and visited the Hans-Otto-Theater. It’s amazing to have built something like that. Of course I still get around every now and then, and when I do, I enjoy looking at the buildings. It’s true what you say: it is an expansive portfolio. I often pass by places where I have built things, and I am glad when the users are still happy with them.
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