ART CITIES:London-Jacques Hondelatte

Though little known to the general public and mainly published in specialized journals, Jacques Hondelatte nonetheless remains cult, a public figure who made the greatest impact on his generation, including renowned architects like Jean Nouvel and Rudy Ricciotti. In 1998, he won the Grand Prix National de l’Architecture and, the same year, the Institut Français d’Architecture devoted a solo exhibition to his work, the only existing monograph on the architect is “Jacques Hondelatte: Des gratte-ciel dans la tête” by Norma Editions.

By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Betts Project Archive

The exhibition “Absolute Master of Radicalness” reveals previously unseen archive documents and unknown projects of Jacques Hondelatte, including images of the “Jardin du Foot” (1994), a garden in which the trees become football players, images of the “Viaduc de Millau” (1994), as well as images of the “Dragons de Niort” (1992). The quality of the representations (plans, digital images, digital collages/photos, etc.) produced by the Hondelatte agency is astounding in several respects. Unlike contemporary productions, they avoid any resemblance with reality and powerfully impose their own graphic world with remarkable clarity. Hondelatte’s hybrid collages still stand out today with their absolute relevancy and modernity. In the mid-1980s, Hondelatte became interested in information technology not only as a perfected, functional tool, but as a medium that is able to overhaul design methods. His work is characterized by rigorous precision, a sharp eye for details and intense poetry: one can’t miss to observe a shift in the essence of the architectural project, as the materiality of the construction ceases to be the primary element and the architect refuses any resemblance with reality, though without transitioning to utopia. As described by Jean Nouvel, a longtime friend and associate, “Hondelatte’s architecture is based on abstraction and discussion and no longer derived from drawings”, thus resulting in incredibly minimalistic plans through which he metamorphoses the most difficult problems into a dazzling solution.

Info: Curators: Juan Perez-Amaya and Felix Beytout, Betts Project, 100 Central Street, London, Duration 3/12/17-3/2/18, Days & Hours: Wed-Fri 11:00-18:00, Sat 12:00-17:00, www.bettsproject.com