Short Biography
Erno Goldfinger (1902-1987) was a Hungarian-born Jewish architect and furniture designer. He studied architecture in Paris and was a rebellious student that opposed traditional architecture and was interested in more surrealist, artistic forms. He was inspired by the work of his peers, especially by Miles van der Rohe and Auguste Perret. This played a key role in the development of his style and the design of his house in Willow Road, which was strongly influenced by Perret’s use of reinforced concrete. He wasn’t a Le Corbusier admirer, despite the fact that they shared some of their design principles.
His work was a key to pioneering the Modernist movement and its principles of form following function and of true materials, in the United Kingdom. After marrying Ursula Blackwell in the early 1930s he designed and built 1,2 and 3 Willow Road. The middle house became their residence while the other 2 were rented in order to fund the building. It was very difficult for emerging architects to stand out at the time and Goldfinger hadn’t built anything on a large scale before. He produced that building to show off to his fellow architects and to prove himself. He described it as “a solid building”.
Following this, Goldfinger contributed to rebuilding the country after World War II. His high-rise, functional tower blocks were ideal for solving the housing issues at the time, as they maximised space and light possibilities and provided comfortable, space-saving environments for a large number of people. This lead to a greater appreciation of his work.
Interesting Facts
- Goldfinger believed that “only zooloos and eskimoes build round houses”
- His family and close friends speak of him as:
- “an imposing figure, a dynamic man”
- “a fraction short of genius”
- A man with “Strength in his architecture”
- “Unforgettable”
- The James Bond villain ‘Goldfinger’ was named after Erno Goldfinger by Ian Flemming, his next door neighbour, as a result of his strong opposition to the construction of 2 Willow Road.
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