Kay Otto Fisker (14 February 1893 – 21 June 1965) was a Danish architect, designer and educator. He is mostly known for his many housing projects, mainly in the

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

area, and is considered a leading exponent of Danish Functionalism.

Education and career

Kay Fisker was born on 14 February 1893 in

Frederiksberg Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the region of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of less tha ...

. He entered the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts () has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Danish Academy of Portraiture, Sculpture, and Architecture in Cope ...

in 1909 and while there worked at the offices of leading Scandinavian architects such as Anthon Rosen, Sigurd Lewerentz,

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 during the last decade of his life. At this time, he was a major proponent of the mode ...

, and Hack Kampmann parallel to his studies. In 1915, in collaboration with Aage Rafn, he won a competition to design the railway stations along the Almindingen-Gudhjem railway on the Danish island of

Bornholm Bornholm () is a List of islands of Denmark, Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. I ...

. After graduating, his career as a practising architect was dominated by numerous influential residential projects. Vestersøhus was built from 1935 to 1939 by Fisker and C. F. Møller. It instantly became a model in Denmark for the balcony and bay window blocks of the time. A key building in his production was

Aarhus University Aarhus University (, abbreviated AU) is a public research university. Its main campus is located in Aarhus, Denmark. It is the second largest and second oldest university in Denmark. The university is part of the Coimbra Group, the Guild, and Ut ...

(1931–43), considered to be one of the most important examples of Danish Functionalism, which he designed in collaboration with C. F. Møller,

Povl Stegmann Povl Christian Stegmann (1888–1944) was a Danish architect remembered for designing Aarhus University in collaboration with Kay Fisker and C. F. Møller. His name is included in the Danish Culture Canon. Early life Born in Aarhus, Stegmann a ...

, and Carl Theodor Marius Sørensen. Kay Fisker also designed the Danish Academy in Rome.

Academia

From 1936 to 1963 Fisker was a professor at the Royal Academy and as teacher of the school's class on housing he was known as an inspiring lecturer with great influence on Danish housing culture. In 1953 and 1957 he was a visiting professor at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

Writings

In his writings, Fisker argued in favour of an anonymous and timeless architecture, not fashionable individual achievements. In the 1964 article "Personal Worship or Anonymity",Arkitekten 1964, pp. 522-526 Fisker emphasized the importance of our surroundings being characterized by a whole - as opposed to simply consisting of a number of individual, sensational works. According to Fisker, architecture should be a framework for a 'natural' way of life, not an end in itself.

Selected buildings

* Railway stations,

(1915–15) * ''Hornbækhus'' housing, Copenhagen (1922) * Århus University,

Århus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...

(1932–43) * Vester Søhus housing, Copenhagen (with C. F. Møller, 1935–39) * '' Dronningegården'' housing, Copenhagen (with Eske Kristensen, 1943–58) * ''Voldparken'' housing, Copenhagen (with others, 1945–51) * Danish Academy in Rome,

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, Italy (1963–65) File:Frederiksberg - functionalism.jpg, The multi-storey bays and windows are typical of the Nordic funkis style File:Skotterupgade 2009.jpg, Hornbækhus (1923). Large apartment blocks in brick. File:Gullfosshus 01.jpg, Gullfosshus (1932). Monumental brick structures. File:Efeu omkring vinduerne, facade mod Universitetsparken.jpg, Aarhus University, facade detail. File:Århus Kommunehospital (uret).jpg, Århus Municipal Hospital, now Aarhus University File:Århus Kommunehospital (bygning 20).jpg, Århus Municipal Hospital, detail. Simple harmonious brick elements. File:Dronningegården - balconies.jpg, Dronningegården. File:Hansaviertel housing, berlin, Berlin.jpg, Haus Fisker apartment block in Berlin (1957). Typical modernist elements. File:Ansgar Kirche, Ansgar Kirke, Flensburg, Flensborg, Apenrader Straße.JPG, Ansgar Kirke, Flensburg, Germany

Awards

* 1926:

Eckersberg Medal The Eckersberg Medal (originally the ''Akademiets Aarsmedaille'' or Annual Academy Medal) is an annual award of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. It is named after Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, known as the father of Danish painting. The ...

* 1947: C. F. Hansen Medal * 1958: Prince Eugen Medal for architecture * 1964:

Heinrich Tessenow Medal The Heinrich Tessenow Gold Medal (Heinrich-Tessenow-Medaille) is an architecture award established in 1963 by the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S. of Hamburg in honour of Heinrich Tessenow. It is awarded by the Heinrich-Tessenow-Gesellschaft e.V. ...

Bibliography

* Ibler, Marianne: '' Kay Fisker and the Danish Academy in Rome''. Archipress. March 2006. * Luca Ortelli, ‘’ Kay Fisker, architetto danese / Kay Fisker, Danish architect '', Casabella 957, Mondadori, Milano 2024, pp. 36-109

References

External links

*
Landsted tegnet af Kay Fisker

Kay Fisker på gravsted.dk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fisker, Kay 1893 births 1965 deaths Danish architects 20th-century American architects Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Honorary Fellows of the American Institute of Architects Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal Recipients of the C.F. Hansen Medal Recipients of the Prince Eugen Medal 01