Adrienne Górska facts for kids

Adrienne Górska (Polish: Adrianna Gurwik-Górska) was a talented Polish architect. She was born in Moscow in 1899 and passed away in Beaulieu-sur-Mer in 1969. Adrienne worked in Paris during the time between World War I and World War II. She was known for her designs in the Modernist and Art Deco styles. It was very rare for women to become architects back then, but Adrienne earned her university degree in architecture.

Life and Work of Adrienne Górska

Adrienne Górska was born Adrianna Gurwik-Górska in Moscow in 1899. In 1919, her Polish family moved to Paris. There, Adrienne studied architecture at the École Spéciale d'Architecture in Montparnasse. She learned from a famous architect named Robert Mallet-Stevens. In 1924, she graduated. This was a big achievement because very few women became architects at that time.

Early Projects and Modern Design

Adrienne designed an apartment and art studio in Paris for her sister, the painter Tamara de Lempicka. She used shiny, chrome-plated furniture in her design. Later, Adrienne helped renovate a farmhouse for an American woman named Barbara Harrison. She turned a barn into a dining room. She also designed a bathroom with bright orange, yellow, and gold tiles.

In 1930, two writers from London, Howard Roberston and Frank Yerbury, wrote about her work. They said that modern design was often seen as strong and masculine. But Adrienne's work showed that women were also creating amazing modern designs.

Working with Pierre de Montaut and Cinéac Cinemas

Górska started working at an architecture firm called Molinié et Nicod. There, she met Pierre de Montaut. They got married around 1934. Adrienne and Pierre became well-known for designing modern movie theaters for a group called Cinéac.

By 1932, Adrienne Górska was a full member of the The French Union of Modern Artists. This was an important group of artists and designers. In 1937, she received a special job. She was asked to design the Polish pavilion for a big international exhibition in Paris. This exhibition was called the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne.

Later Life

In the summer of 1939, Adrienne's sister Tamara moved to the United States. Adrienne and her husband, Pierre, traveled to Poland. They planned to design newsreel cinemas for a company called Pathé Nathan. However, they returned to France at the end of August. This was just before the German invasion of Poland began.

Adrienne Górska's work seems to stop around this time. Her niece, Maria Krystyna "Kizette" de Lempicka, remembered Adrienne's funeral in southern France in 1969.

Literature

• "Adreinne Górska de Montant"" in Byars, Mel (2004). The Design Encyclopedia with references, New York: The Museum of Modern Art. | ISBN: 0-87070-012-X
• Jean-Jacques Meusy, "Cinéac : un concept, une architecture", Les Cahiers de la Cinémathèque, n°66, 1997, pp. 91–121.
• Pierre de Montaut et Adrienne Górska, Vingt salles de cinéma, préface de Germaine Kellerson, Société française d'éditions, 1937.