Johan Otto von Spreckelsen (4 May 1929 – 16 March 1987) was a Danish architect, best known for designing the

Grande Arche La Grande Arche de la Défense (; "The Great Arch of the Defense"), originally called La Grande Arche de la Fraternité (; "Fraternity"), is a monument and building in the business district of La Défense and in the commune of Puteaux, to the west ...

La Défense La Défense () is a major business district in France's Paris metropolitan area, west of the city limits. It is located in Île-de-France region's Departments of France, department of Hauts-de-Seine in the Communes of France, communes of Courbe ...

Puteaux Puteaux () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the heart of the Hauts-de-Seine department, from the centre of Paris. La Défense, Paris's business district hosting the tallest buildings in the metropolitan ...

, near Paris. He directed the creation of several modern churches in Denmark.

Life

He was born in Viborg and studied at the

Viborg Katedralskole Viborg Katedralskole is a public gymnasium (secondary education school) and IB World School in Viborg, Denmark. The school is located at Gammel Skivevej 2 in Viborg and supports about 1000 students. History The Katedralskole was established a ...

and

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

in Copenhagen. He later became associate professor at the Academy and from 1978 he was professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture. He later served as director up to the time of his death.

Churches

He directed the creation of several modern churches in Denmark: '' Vangede Kirke'' near Copenhagen (1974), ''Stavnsholt Kirke'' at the city of Farum (1981) and two Roman Catholic churches including one in

Esbjerg Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport city and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban area, urban population of 71,554 (1 January ...

(1969), St Nikolaj Church, and

Hvidovre Hvidovre is the main town in Hvidovre Municipality, Denmark. The town, a suburb of Copenhagen, is about 10 km southwest of the capital's center. It is the 2nd biggest suburb of Copenhagen, only beaten by Frederiksberg. History Hvidovre has ...

(1960), also consecrated to

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

. He was modest about his accomplishments. Once in an interview, he declared that he was an architect who built three churches and a house. He relied heavily on simple geometrical figures, especially the quadrant, which can be seen in his churches, in the interior decorations even of church organs.

La Défense

His design won the international competition of the

in Puteaux, France, as the French President

François Mitterrand François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former First ...

felt it was the best because of its 'purity and strength'. This work of 110 meters of height, which was inaugurated in 1989, two years after his death, used with remarkable ability the technology of its time, and was inspired by the nearby

Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, often called simply the Arc de Triomphe, is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Plac ...

. The monument, located in the heart of the financial district of La Défense, is built of

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

and of Carrara marble. From its terrace, it is possible to admire a panoramic view all along the '' Axe historique'' with the Arc de Triomphe, the

Champs-Élysées The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an Avenue (landscape), avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc ...

, the

Luxor Obelisk The Luxor Obelisks (French: ) are a pair of ancient Egyptian obelisks, over 3,000 years old, carved to stand either side of the portal of the Luxor Temple in the reign of Ramesses II (). The right-hand (western) stone, high, was gifted by Egy ...

at the

Place de la Concorde The Place de la Concorde (; ) is a public square in Paris, France. Measuring in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées. It was the s ...

and the gardens of the Tuileries and the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

beyond.

Personal life

In 1955, he was married to Karen Gerda Gustavsen. Johan Otto von Spreckelsen died in 1987 of cancer and was buried at Hørsholm Kirkegård.

Gallery

Vangede Kirke 2005-01.jpg, Vangede Kirke Stavnsholt Kirke.jpg, Stavnsholt Kirke Vangede Kirke 2005-20.png, Vangede plan Esbjerg - St.-Nikolai-Kirche.jpg, St Nikolaj, Esbjerg

References

Other sources

* Torben Weirup (ed.) (2003) ''Det Åbne Vindue, et essay om arkitekten Johan Otto von Spreckelsen'' (Charlottenlund: Luga)

External links

The Grande Arche de la Défense
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spreckelsen, Johan Otto Von 1929 births 1987 deaths People from Viborg Municipality Modernist architects from Denmark Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Directors of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts 20th-century Danish architects