La Biennale di Venezia 2014: The Chancellor’s Bungalow at 50 – An Icon of Post-war German Architecture
The most renowned building designed by Sep Ruf (1908 –1982) is the “Chancellor’s Bungalow” in Bonn, which from 1964 until 1999 served as the official residence of the German chancellor. When the seat of the federal government was moved to Berlin, the building disappeared from the public eye. However, in 2009, following a three-year refurbishment, this important link to the history of post-war Germany was opened to visitors. And this, in turn, aroused renewed interest in Sep Ruf and his oeuvre. Germany’s contribution to this year’s Venice Biennale – the theme of the national pavilions is “Absorbing Modernity 1914–2014” – focuses on the Chancellor’s Bungalow as the epitome of the country’s modern architecture.
