Hendrik Petrus Berlage

Hendrik Petrus Berlage, the Dutch architect and architectural philosopher, created a series of buildings and a body of writings from 1886 to 1909 that were among the first efforts to probe the problems and possibilities of modernism. Although his Amsterdam Stock Exchange, with its rational mastery of materials and space, has long been celebrated for its seminal influence on the architecture of the 20th century, Berlage's writings are highlighted here. Bringing together Berlage's most important texts, among them "Thoughts on Style in Architecture", "Architecture's Place in Modern Aesthetics", and "Art and Society", this volume presents a chapter in the history of European modernism. In his introduction, Iain Boyd Whyte demonstrates that the substantial contribution of Berlage's designs to modern architecture cannot be fully appreciated without an understanding of the aesthetic principles first laid out in his writings.

Active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Hendrik Petrus Berlage was an outstanding personality in twentieth-century Dutch architecture. His designing career consisted of extraordinary constructive achievements: the Amsterdam Stock Market, which recaptures romanesque forms by the austere simplicity of its volumes and its use of exposed brick; urbanistic plans for Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht, based on highly unitary compositional designs in open contrast with contemporary trends; as well as extremely controversial works such as the Christian Science church and the City Museum of The Hague. The book fills in the gaps in the architect's bibliography, focusing on the less explored areas, and offers a systematic index along with a catalogue of his writings, an ample selection of archive images and a largely unpublished photographic survey.

"Institute of History of Art, Architecture & Urbanism, Delft University of Technology--Faculty of Architecture"--P. facing t.p.