Sigurd Lewerentz (29 July 1885 – 29 December 1975) was a Swedish

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Biography

Lewerentz was born at Sandö in the parish of Bjärtrå in

Västernorrland County Västernorrland County ( sv, Västernorrlands län) is a county ('' län'') in the north of Sweden. It is bordered by the counties of Gävleborg, Jämtland, Västerbotten and the Gulf of Bothnia. The name ''Västernorrland'' means "Western ...

, Sweden. He was the son of Gustaf Adolf Lewerentz and Hedvig Mathilda Holmgren. He initially trained as a mechanical engineer at the

Chalmers University of Technology Chalmers University of Technology ( sv, Chalmers tekniska högskola, often shortened to Chalmers) is a Swedish university located in Gothenburg that conducts research and education in technology and natural sciences at a high international lev ...

in Gothenburg (1905–8). Later he took up an architectural apprenticeship in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. He studied with Westman, Östberg and Tengbom. He first opened his own architectural office in Stockholm in 1911 and became associated with the architect

Gunnar Asplund Erik Gunnar Asplund (22 September 1885 – 20 October 1940) was a Swedish architect, mostly known as a key representative of Nordic Classicism of the 1920s, and during the last decade of his life as a major proponent of the modernist style wh ...

(1885–1940). Together they made a winning entry for the Stockholm South (Woodland) Cemetery (''Skogskyrkogården'') competition of 1914–15. This project was implemented initially by both architects, however, the latter stages were done by Asplund alone. He and Asplund were appointed as the main architects for the

Stockholm International Exhibition (1930) The Stockholm Exhibition (in Swedish, ''Stockholmsutställningen'') was an exhibition held in 1930 in Stockholm, Sweden, that had a great impact on the architectural styles known as Functionalism and International Style. The fair was conducte ...

but afterwards Lewerentz became disillusioned, turning away from architecture for many years; from 1940 he ran a factory producing windows and other architectural fittings of his own design. Between 1933 and 1944 Lewerentz, together with his colleagues Erik Lallerstedt and David Helldén, created what is regarded of one of the masterpieces of functionalist architecture, Malmö Opera and Music Theatre (''Malmö Opera och Musikteater''). The foyer is considered of particular beauty, with its open surfaces and beautiful marble staircases and it is adorned with a number of works of art by artists such as

Carl Milles Carl Milles (; 23 June 1875 – 19 September 1955) was a Swedish sculptor. He was married to artist Olga Milles (née Granner) and brother to Ruth Milles and half-brother to the architect Evert Milles. Carl Milles sculpted the Gustaf Vasa statue ...

and

Isaac Grünewald Isaac Grünewald (2 September 1889 – 22 May 1946) was a Swedish-Jewish expressionist painter born in Stockholm. He was the leading and central name in the first generation of Swedish modernists from 1910 up until his death in 1946, in other ...

. He was awarded the

Prince Eugen Medal The Prince Eugen Medal ( sv, Prins Eugen-medaljen) is a medal conferred by the King of Sweden for "outstanding artistic achievement". The medal was established in 1945 by the then King of Sweden, Gustaf V, in connection with the eightieth birthd ...

for architecture in 1950. In the last decade of his life he designed two churches, St. Mark's at Björkhagen in Stockholm (1956) and St. Peter's at Klippan in

Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skå ...

(1963–66), which revived his career in architecture. St. Peter's at Klippan sits in a suburban setting on the periphery of this small town in southern Sweden. The orientation of the church is correct, with the altar standing opposite the west doors. It is square in shape, suggesting a more intimate ritual in the tradition of ''circonstantes'' (standing in a circle), which harkens back to early Christianity. This was the religious equivalent of the search for the essential and the primitive, strongly evident in both of Lewerentz's later churches. These characteristics are expressed beautifully in the detailing of the buildings, the choice of materials, the quality of light and the spatial articulation. He continued to work at competition proposals and furniture designs until shortly before his death in Lund, Sweden during 1975. His total output was small but of very high quality. In an obituary published in ''

The Architectural Review ''The Architectural Review'' is a monthly international architectural magazine. It has been published in London since 1896. Its articles cover the built environment – which includes landscape, building design, interior design and urbani ...

'', James Codrington praises Lewerentz's buildings for their "daring, often rugged use of materials" and their "indefinable atmosphere" and "sense of place."

References

Bibliography

Books

* Björkquist, Karin and Sébastien Corbari, editors (2021). ''Sigurd Lewerentz, Pure Aesthetics. St Mark’s Church''. Zürich: Park Books AG, 2021. (ISBN 9783038602439) * Foote, Jonathan, Hansjörg Göritz, Matthew Hall and Nathan Matteson, editors (2021). ''Lewerentz Fragments''. Barcelona: ACTAR, 2021. (ISBN 9781638400028) * Long, Kieran, Johan Örn, and Mikael Andersson, editors (2021).
Sigurd Lewerentz. Architect of Death and Life
'. Zürich: Park Books AG, 2021. (ISBN 9783038602323) * Flora, Nicola, Paolo Giardiello and Gennaro Postiglione, editors (2002). ''Sigurd Lewerentz, 1885-1975''. Milan: Electa Architecture, 2002. (ISBN 9781904313052) * Blundell Jones, Peter (2002). ''Modern Architecture through case studies''. Oxford: Architectural Press, 2002. (ISBN 9780750638050) * Constant, Caroline (1994). ''The Woodland Cemetery: Toward a Spiritual Landscape''. Stockholm: Byggförlaget, 1994. (ISBN 9789179880606) * Ahlin, Janne. (1985) ''Sigurd Lewerentz, architect 1885-1975''. Stockholm: Byggförlaget, 1985. (ISBN 9789185194636). Reedited in: Ahlin, Janne. (2014) ''Sigurd Lewerentz, architect 1885-1975''. Zürich: Park Books AG, 2014. (ISBN 9783906027487)

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

* [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02665433.2015.1048524?journalCode=rppe20 Campo-Ruiz, Ingrid (2015). ''Equality in Death: Sigurd Lewerentz and the Planning of Malmö Eastern Cemetery 1916-1973.''] Planning Perspectives 30/4: 639-657 ISSN 1460-1176 DOI: 10.1080/02665433.2015.1048524.
Campo-Ruiz, Ingrid (2015). ''From Tradition to Innovation: Lewerentz’s Designs of Ritual Spaces in Sweden, 1914-1966.''
The Journal of Architecture 20/1 (2015): 73-91. . DOI:10.1080/13602365.2015.1009483.
Campo-Ruiz, Ingrid (2015). ''Malmö Eastern Cemetery and Lewerentz’s Critical Approach to Monumentality.''
Studies in the History of Gardens and Designed Landscapes 35/4 (2015):328-344. ISSN 1460-1176. DOI: 10.1080/14601176.2015.1079422.
Campo-Ruiz, Ingrid (2015). ''Construction as a Prototype: the Novel Approach by Sigurd Lewerentz to Using Building Materials, Especially in Walls and Windows, 1920-72.''
Construction History 30 Nov (2015): 67-86. ISSN 0267-7768.
Campo-Ruiz, Ingrid (2013). ''Less or More? The Construction of Lewerentz’s Kiosk in the Malmö Cemetery.''
Progreso, Proyecto, Arquitectura 8 (2013): 132-147. ISSN 2171-6897. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12795/ppa.2013.i8.09 * Hart, Vaughan (1996). ‘Sigurd Lewerentz and the ‘Half-Open Door’’, ''Architectural History: Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain'', vol.36, pp.181-196.

Doctoral Theses

Campo Ruiz, Ingrid. Lewerentz in Malmo: Intersections between Architecture and Landscape. (2015). Doctoral Thesis, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.

Fernández Elorza, Héctor. Asplund versus Lewerentz. (2014). Doctoral Thesis, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.

Ridderstedt, Lars. (1998). Adversus populum: Peter Celsings och Sigurd Lewerentz sakralarkitektur 1945-1975 : (the religious architecture of Peter Celsing and Sigurd Lewerentz 1945-1975). Uppsala: Uppsala University, 1998.

Exhibitions

''Sigurd Lewerentz. Architect of Death and Life''. 1 October 2021 - 28 August 2022, ArkDes, Stockholm
* Sigurd Lewerentz, 1885 - 1975. Stockholm: Arkitektuurmuseet, 1985.

External links

Sigurd Lewerentz Arkitekt. Online catalog of works and architecture map guide