The Staatsgalerie Stuttgart has opened the first major retrospective in Germany of the renowned British architect, teacher and Pritzker Prize laureate James Frazer Stirling (1924–1992).

James Frazer Stirling, Neue Staatsgalerie Stuttgart (1977-1984), © Staatsgalerie Stuttgart

The exhibition, on view October 1 until January 15, 2012, presents a chronological survey of the architect’s work from his student days in Liverpool and his close study of Le Corbusier to his architectural language of the 1970s and 80s which gave expression to his lifelong interest in the interplay between tradition and modernity. More than three hundred original architectural drawings, models and photographs as well as a wide range of previously unpublished archival material are drawn from the James Stirling/Michael Wilford fonds at the CCA.

James Frazer Stirling (1924–1992) is regarded as one of the most influential and innovative architects of the second half of the 20th century. The exhibition at the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart is the first comprehensive presentation dedicated to his work in Germany. Models, plans, sketches, photographs and a wide range of previously unpublished archival material cast a fresh light on James Stirling. James Stirling’s masterpiece – the Neue Staatsgalerie – has long been recognised as a classic of museum architecture. As the largest exhibit of the presentation, it can be explored in a multitude of ways.

There can be no more appropriate venue in Germany for the first comprehensive exhibition of Stirling’s archive. Although initially the object of heated controversy, the Neue Staatsgalerie is now universally accepted as James Stirling’s masterpiece and a classic of museum architecture. It is the largest exhibit of the presentation and can be enjoyed in a multitude of ways. In Stuttgart the exhibition was staged by Peter Daners and supplemented with architecture-related works from the collection.

Related posts:

1. Yale Center for British Art Opens Notes from the Archive : James Frazer Stirling, Architect and Teacher
2. Tate Britain Opens James Stirling: Notes from the Archive
3. Staatsgalerie Stuttgart Opens Hans Holbein Exhibition