(abridged version Bonas Essay) A.F. Aalbers (1897-1961) Aalbers' work differs from that of his modernist colleagues in the Netherlands between the World Wars. Here the introduction of modernism was often accompanied by a desire for renewal in the social, medical-hygienic and spiritual fields, often expressed in a certain restraint of architecture. Aalbers felt he was primarily an artist who wanted to make something beautiful and useful for his clients. Those clients, mostly businessmen, were fond of living comfortably, going out, receiving guests and conveying a certain status. With his elegant and expressive exteriors and his clever floor plans, Aalbers met their needs. In the formal language he used in his work, Aalbers showed himself to be undogmatic. He was well-versed in the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, European expressionism and modernist architecture. All of these movements continue to recur in his work, using art deco motifs especially in his hotels and luxurious villas to achieve a decorative look. But whatever formal language he used, everything always had to be open and sleek, his daughters recall. For all the variations in form, Aalbers' architecture is invariably modern in intention; his buildings are characterized by striking spatial dynamics and interwoven interior and exterior spaces. In his best works, Aalbers managed to achieve a special class. Villas such as the "three locomotives" on Dagoweg in Bandung can be compared to the work of Le Corbusier with their fanning balconies in "concrete brut. Background and education Albert Frederik Aalbers was born on December 13, 1897 in Rotterdam, the youngest child of Theo Aalbers and Johanna Buis. From 1910-1918 he attended the Academy of Visual Arts and Technical Sciences in Rotterdam, where he graduated "with honors. He then went to work in his father's construction company, the N.V. Maatschappij tot het Contracting van Bouwwerken in Rotterdam. From 1923 to 1926, he formed a partnership with his older brother Theo, who had also attended the Academy. They called themselves "Aalbers Brothers, Architects and Contractors, Rotterdam. They built several stores and warehouses as well as two villas in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright in Overschie, including the villa Dijkendam for Aalbers' future parents-in-law, the Lieuwen family. In 1924, at the age of 26, Albert designed the Odeon hall and housing complex on Gouvernestraat in Rotterdam, commissioned by his father's construction company. It was planned to sell the Odeon building after completion, but since no buyer could be found, it remained the property of the Aalbers family. In 1926, the partnership of the Aalbers brothers was dissolved, as they disagreed too often. Theo left for the Dutch East Indies and Albert went to work at a small architectural firm in Hengelo. In 1928, he married Anna Marie Philipina Lieuwen. Since the opportunities in the Dutch East Indies seemed better than in the Netherlands, where the economic crisis was making itself increasingly felt, Aalbers left with his young wife in the same year for the Dutch East Indies. He got a job with the contractor J. Bennink in Sukabumi, where his brother also worked, but already in 1930 he settled as an independent architect in Bandung, where a year later his friend Rijk de Waal joined him, who had come over from the Netherlands at Aalbers' request. Architect in Bandung, 1930-1942 In 1931, the office "Aalbers and De Waal, architects" was established in a building on Dagoweg (jl. Juanda). Aalbers was in charge of commission acquisition and headed the drawing office as designer. De Waal handled business dealings and supervised construction. Both architects had very opposite personalities. Aalbers could work like a man possessed, smoking one cigarette after another and usually forgetting to eat. He was completely absorbed in his work and was not to be disturbed by anyone. He was extraordinarily inventive, not only as an architect. He produced his blueprints on a self-designed device that ran on solar energy. De Waal was more the smooth and sociable talker. Both spoke good Malay. In 1936, the firm had four Indonesian employees. Later there must have been more, because in 1938 the bureau moved to larger premises on Merdikaweg (jl. Merdika). In 1942, Aalbers was imprisoned by the Japanese in camp Cimahi, just outside Bandung and later transferred to camp Meester Cornelis near Batavia. He survived the camps, but his health had deteriorated greatly. In 1946, he repatriated to the Netherlands with his wife and two daughters. De Waal and his wife had also survived the camps and returned to the Netherlands. Architect in the Netherlands, 1946-1961 After their repatriation, Aalbers and De Waal started an office in Amsterdam at 103 Stadhouderskade, initially planning to return to the Dutch East Indies as soon as possible. Their stationery showed as letterhead, "Aalbers and De Waal, Architects, Amsterdam-Bandoeng. Due to the political situation in the Dutch East Indies and Aalbers' poor health, they had to abandon that plan. In the East Indies, Aalbers had been a celebrated member of the Dutch community in Bandung, easily acquiring commissions; however, he lacked the ability to adapt to postwar conditions in the Netherlands and attract new clients. Around 1955, Aalbers met J. Bennink, at whose contracting firm in Sukabumi he had started in the Dutch East Indies at the time and who had now moved into project development. Together they started an architectural firm in the Javastraat in The Hague, which, however, was dissolved after six months due to lack of commissions. After rebuilding Mr. Bennink's house on Parkweg in Scheveningen, Aalbers continued his practice as an independent architect in Rotterdam. In 1961 Aalbers died in Rotterdam at the age of 63. In an In Memoriam in the contact magazine for Dutch East Indies visitors Tong-Tong, W.H. Hoogland, once his most important client, wrote: "His first important work was the Denis building on Bragaweg in Bandoeng, followed by the large Savoy Homann Hotel. What peace and tautness of lines speak from these imposing buildings. Aalbers had the great gift, which few possess, of giving form also the right color and indicating the right furnishings[...] Herein lay his strength'. Aalbers, an undogmatic modernist At the time Aalbers came to the Dutch East Indies, there was a debate among architects there about the most desirable architectural style. Some of them, including Henri Maclaine Pont and the architect-urbanist Thomas Karsten, favored the application of indigenous building principles, which entailed good ventilation possibilities and relied on the use of local materials. Others, however, including Prof. C.P. Wolff Schoenmaker, strove for modern architecture based on principles such as simplicity, efficiency and functionality, which became increasingly accepted internationally. In Aalbers' work we find both principles. His best-known works are characterized by a modernist idiom, while in a number of villas we see Indian roof forms, which were popular because of their good ventilation possibilities. In addition, he continued to use other styles throughout his career in India. As an architect, Aalbers is difficult to label. Of Aalbers' ideas we know little. He did not write and, as far as we know, kept aloof from the Indian architectural debate. We know from family tradition his preference for austere, clear forms. He frequently made models of his designs in order to control the mass effect; some photographs of these have survived. His designed and built oeuvre is only partially known; moreover, many executed works have changed over the years. About Aalber's own preferences we remain in the dark. That his post-war Dutch designs exude a relatively austere modernism may point in one direction, but may equally stem from the living climate and economic conditions during Reconstruction. Education: Academy of Visual Arts and Technical Sciences Rotterdam/1910-1918