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COLUMBIA FORUM
Architect of Dreams

	Set design for Don Giovanni, Act 1.4 (Giovanni's Garden), 1913. Watercolor, 7 x 9 3/4 inches.

Trained as an architect, Joseph Urban (1872-1933) was a central figure in the cultural life of his native Vienna before immigrating to the United States in 1912. After two years as set designer for the Boston Opera, he moved to New York, where he became a key figure in the American theater, designing productions for the Ziegfield Follies and the Metropolitan Opera. He introduced European developments to American stage design, experimented with lighting and painterly effects (often incorporating elements of modernist literature, painting and dance) and became celebrated for his use of color, especially his signature "Urban blue."

The full range of Urban's talent is apparent in "Architect of Dreams: The Theatrical Vision of Joseph Urban," an exhibition currently on display in the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery at Columbia. The exhibition includes 120 of Urban's watercolors, set models, book illustrations and drawings, such as materials for productions of Don Giovanni and Jonny Spielt Auf shown here. All the materials in the exhibition come from Columbia's Rare Book and Manuscript Library, which houses the largest collection of Urban materials.

Set model for Jonny Spielt Auf, Act 2.5 (Train Station), 1929. Painted cardboard and other materials, 23 x 25 7/8 19 3/8 inches.

Urban worked in a variety of media. In addition to his theatre work, he was architect of the New School for Social Research and Bedell's Department Store in Manhattan, illustrated books (notably an edition of Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tales), and designed movie sets for William Randolph Heart's Cosmopolitan Productions. Despite his wide influence, Urban "has remained surprisingly underrated," says Arnold Aronson, professor of theatre arts in the School of the Arts and the exhibition's curator.

"Architect of Dreams" will remain on view in the Wallach Art Gallery, Schermerhorn Hall, 8th Floor, through December 16, 2000. Gallery hours are 1:00 - 5:00, Wednesday through Saturday. For more information, please telephone (212) 854-2877. The Wallach Art Gallery has published a catalogue, which includes essays by Aronson and Matthew William Smith, a Columbia doctoral student, in conjunction with the exhibit.

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