Alexandra Dimitrievna Biryukova ( July 10, 1895 , Vladivostok , Russian Empire - February 9, 1967 , Richmond Hill , Canada ) is a Canadian architect of Russian origin [1] . Known as the first woman to become a member of the Ontario Provincial Association of Architects (1931), as well as the author of the architectural project of the Canadian artist’s mansion, Lauren Harris (1930), recognized in 1975 as a cultural monument of the city of Toronto [1] [2] .
| Alexandra Dmitrievna Biryukova | |
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 Portrait of Alexandra Biryukova by her sister, Julia Biryukova (1940) | |
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| A country | |
| Date of Birth | |
| Place of Birth | |
| Date of death | |
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| Work and Achievements | |
| Study | Imperial Academy of Arts |
| Worked in the cities | Toronto |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| The most important buildings | Lauren Harris Mansion |
Content
Biography
Alexandra Biryukova was born on July 10, 1895 in Vladivostok. Her father, Dmitry Biryukov, worked as an engineer in the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway . In 1911-1914, she received her first architectural education at the Imperial Academy of Arts in Petrograd [3] .
After the revolution, the Biryukov family emigrated to Rome , perhaps having spent some time in Hong Kong first [2] . In Rome in 1922-1925 she continued her studies at the Higher School of Architecture, in 1924-1929 she trained under the supervision of Italian architect ( Italian: Arnaldo Foschini ) [1] [4] .
At the end of 1929, after the death of her parents, Alexander, together with her sister, artist Julia Biryukova (1897-1972), moved to Toronto (according to other sources, Julia Biryukova moved to Canada first, and then Alexander came to her; also, possibly, there their relatives already lived) [2] [4] [5] . The arrival in Toronto of Julia, as a well-known European artist, was widely covered in the press, for example, in the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star , which wrote that it was an honor for them that such an artist now calls Toronto his home [5] . Here she quickly found work, became close to local artists, her works began to be shown at exhibitions.
| External Images | |
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| Photo of the Lawrence Harris mansion in the mid-2000s . In 2012, the building was rebuilt [6] . | |
| Figure of the mansion made by Alexandra Biryukova in 1930 | |
| The architectural plan of the mansion | |
In Toronto, Alexandra almost immediately began a private architectural practice. Thanks to her sister's acquaintances, she also quickly became acquainted with leading local artists and architects, in particular with representatives of the Group of Seven [2] [5] . The first and, as it turned out later, Biryukova’s only order was the project of the mansion of Canadian artist , the leader of the Group of Seven, which she completed in 1930. Initially, Harris commissioned an architectural design for Douglas Kertland , but then, Biryukova attracted his attention, and he got it [5] . The three-story building in the Art Deco style was built in 1931, it stood out very much against the background of the city’s building in a more traditional style [7] .
In 1931, in accordance with the Architects Act , 1931, requiring all practicing architects in Ontario to be registered with the Ontario Association of Architects of Ontario (OAA ), Alexandra Biryukova applied for membership to the association, which was unanimously approved by architects Douglas Kertland and Ferdinand Herbert Marani ( English Marani, Ferdinand Herbert ), as well as Lauren Harris [2] [5] . She was the first woman to become a member of the OAA.
Despite the fact that her first order was quite prestigious, she received no more orders. Among the possible reasons, the researchers called the influence of the Great Depression , due to which the volume of construction was reduced, too modernistic approach to architecture in a rather conservative city, as well as the fact that she was a woman, and also a foreigner [2] [5] . In 1934, Biryukova left the OAA, and in the same year, Lauren Harris left Toronto [2] .
After that, she no longer returned to architectural practice. In the mid-1930s, Alexandra Biryukova was trained in nursing and until her retirement in the 1960s worked as a nurse in a tuberculosis hospital in Toronto (now West Park Hospital). Researchers note that those who knew her at that time did not realize that she was an architect [1] [2] [5] . She died in the city of Richmond Hill on February 9, 1967.
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Leykind O. L. BIRYUKOVA Alexandra Dmitrievna . “Art and Architecture of the Russian Abroad” (July 21, 2014). Date of treatment March 10, 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Ontario's First Female Architects (Part 2): Alexandra Biriukova . Ontario Association of Architects (November 10, 2015). Date of treatment March 11, 2017.
- ↑ Biriukova, Alexandra . Canadian Women Artists History Initiative . Concordia University . Date of treatment March 13, 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 Biriukova, Alexandra . Bibliographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada. Date of treatment March 12, 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 KAITLIN WAINWRIGHT. Historicist: A Building of Her Own . Torontoist (May 28, 2016). Date of treatment March 12, 2017.
- ↑ Inside Lawren Harris's onetime home . Globe and Mail (10 May 2012). Date of treatment March 13, 2017.
- ↑ CAROLYN IRELAND. Lawren Harris' Forest Hill masterpiece . Home of the Week . Globe and Mail (March 31, 2009). Date of treatment March 13, 2017.
Literature
- Simmons G. Ontario Association of Architects: A Centennial History. 1889-1989. - Toronto: Ontario Association of Architects, 1989.
- Kalman H. A History of Canadian Architecture. - Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1994 .-- P. 772. - 933 p. - ISBN 9780195411034 .
Links
- Biriukova, Alexandra . Canadian Women Artists History Initiative . Concordia University . - Biography and detailed bibliography of Alexandra Biryukova on the website of the Concordia University project dedicated to Canadian women artists and artists. Date of treatment March 13, 2017.
- DAVE LEBLANC. Tweaking Lawren Harris's art deco home in Toronto . Globe and Mail (10 May 2012). - Description and photographs of Lauren Harris's mansion and its remodeling project. Date of treatment March 13, 2017.