(Abridged version Bonas essay) Alexander Bodon (1906-1993) Alexander Bodon collaborated with a large number of architects. It is therefore not always easy to ascertain, what exactly his part was in a particular project. From 1940 to 1954 he had his own architectural firm. In 1954 his office entered into an association with the Rotterdam office of the recently deceased A. van der Steur. From April 1, 1954 to January 1, 1974, Bodon was a partner and member of the board of DSBV Ingenieurs en Architecten. The name was an abbreviation of the names of the firm's directors: G. Drexhage, J.J. Sterkenburg, A. Bodon and F.F. Venstra. It is a designation that strictly speaking applied only to the period from January 1967 to January 1974, when the aforementioned individuals served on the board of directors. Youth and education in Hungary Alexander Bodon was born in Vienna on September 6, 1906, the son of Hungarian parents. As the son of a Hungarian interior designer, Bodon was familiar with this profession from an early age. He grew up "under the drawing board" of his father, who arranged for Bodon to apprentice with a number of craftsmen after high school. During this period, he came into contact with two people who were important to him: Gy Kaesz, the leader of the interior design department at the Budapest School of Arts and Crafts, and the poet and journalist Alexander Olcsvay. In 1924, Bodon entered the interior architecture course at the Budapest School of Arts and Crafts, with Gy Kaesz as his teacher. He learned from him that an artist should not only be creative, but also have a serving function and thus be open to the wishes of his surroundings. This laid the first seed for Bodon's later development on the path of the New Building. Kaesz advised him to take an internship at Jan Wils' architectural office in Voorburg in 1926. At Wils' bureau, Bodon met his compatriot Vilmos Huszar and bureau chief C. van Eesteren, both directly involved in De Stijl and modern architecture. Through Van Eesteren, Bodon came into contact with the ideas of De Stijl and Nieuwe Bouwen, and he therefore considered Van Eesteren his "spiritual father. Back in Hungary, it was difficult to connect with the neo-baroque styles of his country. 'I dreamed of red , blue and yellow surfaces.' His graduation project in the vein of De Stijl was not accepted by the arts and crafts school in Budapest. With a modified design, he then obtained his final diploma in interior architecture. With the diploma from the art school, Bodon left for the Netherlands in 1929. Thanks to mediation by the Van den Berg family, Bodon managed to get work at the architectural firm of J.W.E. Buijs and J.B. Lursen, socialists at heart. Van Buijs was very interested in the ideas of the Nieuwe Bouwen, although he did not always work in that vein. Membership in "The 8" determined Bodon's further career. It brought him into contact with the avant garde of New Building. 'The 8' assumed that architecture could contribute to the improvement of society. Through standardization and use of modern materials such as concrete, steel and glass, livable working and living conditions would be obtained with plenty of "light, air, sun and space. Man's physical and mental health would thus be guaranteed. Functionality was the starting point for every design, in accordance with the well-known statement "Form follows function. In addition to his membership in "The 8," teaching at the New School of Art was a special experience for Bodon. From 1933-1944 Bodon taught interior architecture at the Nieuwe Kunstschool in Amsterdam. The Nieuwe Kunstschool had been founded in 1933 by Paul Citroen following the example of Bauhaus, which had had to close its doors in Dessau that same year on the orders of the Nazis. Paul Citroen was a student of Bauhaus. The New School of Art was a small private school. Like Bauhaus, there was an atmosphere of tolerance and an emphasis on self-development and individual freedom. Only teachers who were also practicing artists were hired. The war years Bodon's oeuvre shows a large number of works for exhibitions and fairs in the period before and during World War II. In the period from 1940-1953, there were over forty. When arranging fairs and exhibitions, the basic principle was to show the exhibits to their best advantage. This could be achieved by simple forms, openness, uniform use of materials and colors and clear walking routes, among other things. In 1939, Bodon received Dutch citizenship, which allowed him to establish himself as an independent architect. After World War II, he established his own firm. Until the 1960s, he had a large number of renovations and interior designs to his name. Activities such as competitions and study groups also continued after the war on the topics of standardization and normalization of, for example, window frames, doors and furniture. The studies focused on simplifying the building process in order to contribute to the Reconstruction. Breakthrough and recognition Until 1953, designing exhibitions and trade fairs were among his most important assignments. Following on from this work was also his commission for the RAI in 1951. When looking for an architect, the RAI board had consulted the BNA. Besides Bodon, A. Boeken and the architectural couple Pot-Keegstra were on the nomination list. The commission to design the RAI marked Bodon's real breakthrough to recognition. The RAI would grow into his life's work. 'Still on the ropes', 1974-1993 On January 1, 1974, Bodon stepped down from the management of DSBV and was succeeded by J.H. Ploeger. Despite his advanced age, he continued his work as an architect. In part, this even took place at the DSBV office in Amsterdam on Keizersgracht, so the ties to his old buildings were not abruptly severed. He died on January 22, 1993. Conclusion Bodon was not a theorist, but a man of practice. Based on his works, his activities and his statements, it is not difficult to place him within the New Building movement of the 1920s and 1930s. Openness characterized his architecture, whether it was the converted bookstore of Schröder & Dupont, residential houses, the extension of Museum Boijmans-Van Beuningen or the RAI complex. All the technical possibilities of modern times had to be used to create light and transparent spaces, and he saw it as his task to keep looking for new solutions. In this respect, according to Bodon, housing construction could still learn a lot from the automobile and aircraft industry with their far-reaching techniques and advanced design. For Bodon, the 1920s and 1930s were decisive for the formation of theory, the 1950s and 1980s for implementation. During the second half of the 1930s, there was a lively discussion about whether aesthetics had a role to play within architecture in addition to functionalist goals. Although generally pure in its doctrine, Bodon's work bore the marks of this dichotomy. Throughout his life, the functionality of the buildings was paramount; efficiency, openness and simplicity were high on Bodon's list of priorities. Through clear arrangement, through choice of materials and application of color, through perfect detailing and sophisticated construction, his works acquired an aesthetic appeal in addition to functionalism. As a result, they rose above mediocrity and escaped the impoverishment that was so typical of post-war New Building. Education: Apprentice furniture maker and upholsterer in Budapest/; Arts and Crafts School Budapest/1924-. Additional positions: De 8/member/1932; Nieuwe Kunstschool Amsterdam/teacher of interior architecture/1933-1934; Amsterdam Beauty Commission/aesthetic consultant/1960-1966 and 1976-1982; Rijkscommissie ter bevordering van het behoud van belangrijke bouwwerken van recente datum/member/1964; Hoogovens/supervision/1968-1977; Rotterdam's welstandcommissie/member/1968-1983; Congress building in Innsbruck Austria/supervisor/1967-1968; shopping center Hoog Catharijne in Utrecht/supervisor/1968-1980; Stichting Rietveld Schröderhuis in Utrecht/board member/1974-1986; bridges in Amsterdam/supervisor/1975-1986; Stationsplein in Amsterdam/supervisor/1979-1983; beauty commission in Haarlem/member/1983-1988; renovation of J. Duiker in the Cliostraat in Amsterdam/advisory/1985; Academie van Bouwkunst/mentorship/1985-1986; Jaarbeursplein-Stationstravee Utrecht/advisory/1986-1987; renovation of the St.. Josephkerk in 's-Hertogenbosch as housing for the ceramic work center Heusden/advisory/1988-1989; multiple commission Netherlands Architecture Institute in Rotterdam/advisory/1988; architectural competition for the extension of the Teylersmuseum in Haarlem/advisory/1989-1990; A.J. van Eck Prize/advisory/1990