The architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright was introduced to Europe by the Berlin publisher Ernst Wasmuth in 1911, when he published the first book of Wright’s work anywhere in the world: Ausgeführte Bauten und Entwürfe von Frank Lloyd Wright (“Completed Buildings and Designs by Frank Lloyd Wright”). That same year, H.P. Berlage visited America and noted the three-dimensional, sculptural nature of Wright’s designs, which contrasted with the more two-dimensional designs of most European architects. This was one of the many attributes of Wright’s work that he, and other Dutch architects of a similar mindset, found so appealing. The next year he published the notes he had taken during lectures on American architecture and Frank Lloyd Wright, bringing Wright to German and Dutch-speaking audiences.
H.Th. Wijdeveld in particular admired Wright and his work. The two corresponded frequently, and Wijdeveld even organized the first European exhibition of Wright’s work in 1931.
In 1925, Wendingen ran a seven-issue special on Wright and his work, featuring covers designed by Wijdeveld and written contributions from leading European architects, as well as Americans including Louis Sullivan and, of course, Wright himself.
The seven-issue special was not the first time Wendingen had devoted its attention to Wright. It had previously published a single issue featuring his buildings, including shops, residences, and the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, and sporting a cover designed by the Russian Constructivist El Lissitzky. This cover would become one of the most iconic of the magazine’s run.
Lissitzky’s work may seem more in keeping with the De Stijl school of thought and, indeed, he contributed much more frequently to their publications than to the Amsterdam School’s. However, this only serves to demonstrate the widespread appeal of Wright’s work. The Russian Constructivists were proponents of “The Machine” and of using industrial design and technology to mold society into the communistic dream proposed by the recent Bolshevik revolution. Though their machine age aesthetic might seem at odds with Wright’s and Wendingen’s organic sensibilities, Wright himself spoke of the virtues of "The Machine" and industrial technology, though he saw them as the means to creating a democratic, individualistic society.
- Wendingen vol. 3 no. 11/12, 1920, H.P. Berlage.
- Wendingen vol. 7 no. 4, 1925, Frank Lloyd Wright, Special Issue 2.
- Wendingen vol. 11 no. 9, 1930, Statistical Images.
- Wendingen vol. 4 no. 11, 1921, Frank Lloyd Wright, cover designed by El Lissitzky.