Michael Gottlieb Bindesbøll
Encyclopedia
Michael Gottlieb Birckner Bindesbøll (5 September 1800 - 14 July 1856) was a Danish
architect
active during the Danish Golden Age in the first half of the 19th century. Most known for his design of Thorvaldsens Museum
in Copenhagen
, he was a key figure in the stylistic shift in Danish architecture
from late classicism to Historicism
. For Bindesbøll, changing styles was the prelude to amusement and he juggled freely with older models. He was the farther of Thorvald Bindesbøll
. He first trained as a windmill builder with the intention of becoming an engineer. Simultaneously, from 1817 to 1823, he was taking night classes at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts to learn to draw.
He attended lectures by Hans Christian Ørsted
, the natural scientist, who in 1822 invited him along on a journey to Germany
and France
. There Bindesbøll got acquainted with Karl Friedrich Schinkel
's Classicism
and the two men also visited Goethe
in Weimar
, and met German-born architect and archaeologist Frans Gau
, who introduced Bindesbøll to his studies of polychromy
in Classical architecture
.
Back in Denmark, Bindesbøll starting working as a resident architect for royal building inspector Jørgen Hansen Koch
. He also continued his studies at the Academy until 1833, when he won the Academy's large gold medal.
With the large gold medal came a travel scholarship and in 1834 Bindesbøll set out on a four year journey to Rome
, visiting Berlin
, Dresden
and Munich
on the way. In Rome he joined the Danish artists' colony which, with Bertel Thorvaldsen
as it central figure, resided in the city during those years. He also visited Southern Italy and, together with painter Martinus Rørbye
, one of the compatriots he met in Rome, he continued to Greece
the following year. In Athens
he had the opportunity to study the polychromy of the Acropolis temples
which Gau had first introduced him to more than a decade earlier. Bindesbøll and Rørbye also visited Constantinople
in the Ottoman Empire
before returning to Tome in 1836.
During his stay in Rome Bindesbøll collected a store of antique decorations. He was interested in simple, powerful geometric patterns such as floor mosaics.
In 1833, there was talk in Copenhagen of establishing a museum for the Danish/Icelandic sculptor, Bertel Thorvaldsen, if he would agree to bequeath his collections to his homeland. Jonas Collin, an active art and culture official under Frederik VI, awakened the King's interest in a museum for Thorvaldsen and asked Bindesbøll (Collin's nephew) to make some sketches for the building whose location had not yet been decided. Bindensbøll's designs ultimately stood out from other architects' competing for the commission to transform the Royal Carriage Depot and Theatre Scenery Painting Building into a museum dedicated to Thorvaldsen.
Bindesbøll liberated the building from its surroundings, just as Thorvaldsen had liberated sculpture from architecture. He emulated the construction of the Erechtheion and the Pantheon as freestanding buildings designed to be seen from a diagonal point of view, released from traditional urban plan of closed street courses. This new, free preception of space served as a guiding principle for the cities and buildings of the future (Lange, Bente, and Jens Lindhe. Thorvaldsen's Museum: Architecture, Colours, Light. Copenhagen: Danish Architectural Press, 2002)
and from 1849 in Jutland
.
In 1851 he returned to the Danish capital when he was appointed Royal Building Inspector in Copenhagen. For the Royal Danish Society of Medicine he designed an area of terraced houses later known as Vrumleby, which was to provide good, healthy housing for the lower classes, and set a standard for later, similar developments. His last major project in Copenhagen was the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural College
in Frederiksberg
which was built from 1856 to 1858.
He was made a titular professor in 1853 and a professor at the Art Academy in Copenhagen in 1856 but died shortly after, on 14 July 1856.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
active during the Danish Golden Age in the first half of the 19th century. Most known for his design of Thorvaldsens Museum
Thorvaldsens Museum
The Thorvaldsen Museum is a single-artist museum in Copenhagen, Denmark, dedicated to the art of Danish neoclassicistic sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen , who lived and worked in Rome for most of his life . The museum is located on the small island of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen next to...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, he was a key figure in the stylistic shift in Danish architecture
Architecture of Denmark
The architecture of Denmark has its origins in the Viking period, richly revealed by archaeological finds. It became firmly established in the Middle Ages when first Romanesque, then Gothic churches and cathedrals sprang up throughout the country...
from late classicism to Historicism
Historicism (art)
Historicism refers to artistic styles that draw their inspiration from copying historic styles or artisans. After neo-classicism, which could itself be considered a historicist movement, the 19th century saw a new historicist phase marked by a return to a more ancient classicism, in particular in...
. For Bindesbøll, changing styles was the prelude to amusement and he juggled freely with older models. He was the farther of Thorvald Bindesbøll
Thorvald Bindesbøll
Thorvald Bindesbøll was a Danish architect. He was one of Denmark's most important architects at the turn of the twentieth century....
Early life and education
Gottlieb Bindesbøll was born on 5 September in Ledøje, a village 20 km west of CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. He first trained as a windmill builder with the intention of becoming an engineer. Simultaneously, from 1817 to 1823, he was taking night classes at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts to learn to draw.
He attended lectures by Hans Christian Ørsted
Hans Christian Ørsted
Hans Christian Ørsted was a Danish physicist and chemist who discovered that electric currents create magnetic fields, an important aspect of electromagnetism...
, the natural scientist, who in 1822 invited him along on a journey to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. There Bindesbøll got acquainted with Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Karl Friedrich Schinkel was a Prussian architect, city planner, and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed both neoclassical and neogothic buildings.-Biography:Schinkel was born in Neuruppin, Margraviate of...
's Classicism
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
and the two men also visited Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
in Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
, and met German-born architect and archaeologist Frans Gau
Franz Christian Gau
Franz Christian Gau was a German architect and archæologist.In 1809 he entered the Académie des Beaux-Arts, Paris, and in 1815 visited Italy and Sicily...
, who introduced Bindesbøll to his studies of polychromy
Polychrome
Polychrome is one of the terms used to describe the use of multiple colors in one entity. It has also been defined as "The practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." Polychromatic light is composed of a number of different wavelengths...
in Classical architecture
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
.
Back in Denmark, Bindesbøll starting working as a resident architect for royal building inspector Jørgen Hansen Koch
Jørgen Hansen Koch
Jørgen Hansen Koch was a Neoclassical Danish architect. He was the leader of the national Danish building administration from 1835 and director of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1844 to 1849.-Biography:...
. He also continued his studies at the Academy until 1833, when he won the Academy's large gold medal.
To Rome and beyond
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, visiting Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
and Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
on the way. In Rome he joined the Danish artists' colony which, with Bertel Thorvaldsen
Bertel Thorvaldsen
Bertel Thorvaldsen was a Danish-Icelandic sculptor of international fame, who spent most of his life in Italy . Thorvaldsen was born in Copenhagen into a Danish/Icelandic family of humble means, and was accepted to the Royal Academy of Arts when he was eleven years old...
as it central figure, resided in the city during those years. He also visited Southern Italy and, together with painter Martinus Rørbye
Martinus Rørbye
Martinus Christian Wesseltoft Rørbye was a Danish painter, known both for genre works and landscapes. He was a central figure of the Golden Age of Danish painting during the first half of the 19th century....
, one of the compatriots he met in Rome, he continued to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
the following year. In Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
he had the opportunity to study the polychromy of the Acropolis temples
Acropolis
Acropolis means "high city" in Greek, literally city on the extremity and is usually translated into English as Citadel . For purposes of defense, early people naturally chose elevated ground to build a new settlement, frequently a hill with precipitous sides...
which Gau had first introduced him to more than a decade earlier. Bindesbøll and Rørbye also visited Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
before returning to Tome in 1836.
During his stay in Rome Bindesbøll collected a store of antique decorations. He was interested in simple, powerful geometric patterns such as floor mosaics.
Thorvaldsens Museum
Bindesbøll liberated the building from its surroundings, just as Thorvaldsen had liberated sculpture from architecture. He emulated the construction of the Erechtheion and the Pantheon as freestanding buildings designed to be seen from a diagonal point of view, released from traditional urban plan of closed street courses. This new, free preception of space served as a guiding principle for the cities and buildings of the future (Lange, Bente, and Jens Lindhe. Thorvaldsen's Museum: Architecture, Colours, Light. Copenhagen: Danish Architectural Press, 2002)
Late career
In 1847 Bindesbøll was appointed Royal Building Inspector in HolsteinHolstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
and from 1849 in Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
.
In 1851 he returned to the Danish capital when he was appointed Royal Building Inspector in Copenhagen. For the Royal Danish Society of Medicine he designed an area of terraced houses later known as Vrumleby, which was to provide good, healthy housing for the lower classes, and set a standard for later, similar developments. His last major project in Copenhagen was the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural College
University of Copenhagen Faculty of Life Sciences
The faculty previously known as the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University is located in Frederiksberg, Denmark and was established in 1856. As of 1 January 2007, the University merged with the University of Copenhagen...
in Frederiksberg
Frederiksberg
Frederiksberg Kommune is a municipality on the island of Zealand in Denmark. It surrounded by the city of Copenhagen. The municipality, co-extensive with its seat, covers an area of and has a total population of 98,782 making it the smallest municipality in Denmark area-wise, the fifth most...
which was built from 1856 to 1858.
He was made a titular professor in 1853 and a professor at the Art Academy in Copenhagen in 1856 but died shortly after, on 14 July 1856.
Selected projects
- Thorvaldsens MuseumThorvaldsens MuseumThe Thorvaldsen Museum is a single-artist museum in Copenhagen, Denmark, dedicated to the art of Danish neoclassicistic sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen , who lived and worked in Rome for most of his life . The museum is located on the small island of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen next to...
, Copenhagen (1839–48) - Yellow and Red Cottage, Klampenborg Spa, KlampenborgKlampenborgKlampenborg is a northern suburb to Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located in Gentofte Municipality, directly on Øresund, between Taarbæk and Skovshoved. Like other neighbourhoods along the Øresund coast, Klampenborg is an affluent area with many large houses....
, Denmark (1844, listed in 1878 and 1879, other works at the same site demolished) - Rosendal Manor, FaxeFaxeFaxe or Fakse is a town in Denmark in Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand.Before the Danish Kommunalreformen , Fakse was also a municipality...
, Denmark (1847–49, listed in 1950) - Upåkra Church, ScaniaScaniaScania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
, Sweden (1848–49) - Bishop's House, Nykøbing FalsterNykøbing FalsterNykøbing Falster is a southern Danish city, seat of the Guldborgsund kommune. It belongs to Region Sjælland. The city lies on Falster, connected by the 295-meter-long Frederick IX Bridge over the Guldborgsund waterway to the island of Lolland. The town has a population of 16,464...
, FalsterFalsterFalster is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of 514 km² and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010. Located in the Baltic sea, it is part of Region Sjælland and is administered by Guldborgsund Municipality...
, Denmark (1850, listed in 1977) - Hobro Church, HobroHobroHobro with a population of 11,635 - is a town in Mariagerfjord municipality in Region Nordjylland on the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark....
, Denmark (1850–52) - Rørvig Church (tower), RørvigRørvigRørvig is a small town with a population of 1,056 in the northern part of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. Rørvig is surrounded by water on three sides: to the north is the Kattegat, to the east is the channel leading into the Isefjord, and to the south is Roskilde Fjord. There is a...
, Denmark (1852–53) - Town Hall, Court House and Jail, ThistedThistedThisted is a town in Thisted municipality of Region Nordjylland, in Denmark. It has a population of 13,005 and is located in Thy, in northwestern Jutland....
, Denmark (1853, listed in 1978) - Schleswig Railway stations, SchleswigSchleswigSchleswig or South Jutland is a region covering the area about 60 km north and 70 km south of the border between Germany and Denmark; the territory has been divided between the two countries since 1920, with Northern Schleswig in Denmark and Southern Schleswig in Germany...
(most have been demolished) - Flensborg Central Station (demolished in 1983)
- Old Town Hall, Storegade 39, StegeStege, DenmarkStege is the largest town on the island of Møn in south-eastern Denmark. As of 2011, its population is 3,823. Stege is now part of Vordingborg Municipality and belongs to Region Zealand...
, MønMøn-Location:Møn is located just off the south-eastern tip of Zealand from which it is separated by the waters of the Hølen strait between Kalvehave and the island of Nyord, at the northern end of Møn. Further south is Stege Bugt...
, Denmark (1853–54, listed in 1971) - BrumlebyBrumlebyBrumleby is an enclave of terraced houses in Copenhagen, Denmark, located between Østre Allé and Østerbrogade, just south of Parken Stadium and St. James' Church...
, Copenhagen (first blocks and the inspector's residence 1853-57, from 1867 expanded by Vilhelm Klein, fredet, listed) - Hother Hage House, MønMøn-Location:Møn is located just off the south-eastern tip of Zealand from which it is separated by the waters of the Hølen strait between Kalvehave and the island of Nyord, at the northern end of Møn. Further south is Stege Bugt...
, Denmark (1854) - Vrams Gunnarstorp CastleVrams Gunnarstorp CastleVrams Gunnarstorp Castle is a castle in Bjuv Municipality, Scania, in southern Sweden. It was built in the 17th century by Jørgen Vind. 1838 it came to the Tornérhjelm family...
(rebuilding), ScaniaScaniaScania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
, Sweden (1854–56) - Brock House, Taarbæk Strandvej, TaarbækTaarbækTaarbæk is a Copenhagen suburb. The village covers approximately 0.5 km2, located between Jægersborg Dyrehave and Øresund in the Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality. The population is estimated to 1700 residents. Traditionally Taarbæk was a fishing village, but nowadays the village is inhabited by people...
(1855) - Old Town Hall, Hjultorvet 2, Næstved, Denmark (1855–56, listed in 1959)
- Great Hall, University of CopenhagenUniversity of CopenhagenThe University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
, Copenhagen (1856) - Oringe Psychiatric Hospital, Færgegårdsvej 15, VordingborgVordingborgVordingborg is a municipality in Region Sjælland on the southeast coast of the island of Zealand in south Denmark. The municipality includes the island of Masnedø, and covers an area of 621 km². It has a total population of 46,600...
(1857, losted in 1945) - Frederik VII Memorial, Rytterknægten, BornholmBornholmBornholm is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea located to the east of the rest of Denmark, the south of Sweden, and the north of Poland. The main industries on the island include fishing, arts and crafts like glass making and pottery using locally worked clay, and dairy farming. Tourism is...
, Denmark (1856, height added by Thorvald BindesbøllThorvald BindesbøllThorvald Bindesbøll was a Danish architect. He was one of Denmark's most important architects at the turn of the twentieth century....
in 1899) - Royal Veterinary and Agricultural CollegeUniversity of Copenhagen Faculty of Life SciencesThe faculty previously known as the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University is located in Frederiksberg, Denmark and was established in 1856. As of 1 January 2007, the University merged with the University of Copenhagen...
, FrederiksbergFrederiksbergFrederiksberg Kommune is a municipality on the island of Zealand in Denmark. It surrounded by the city of Copenhagen. The municipality, co-extensive with its seat, covers an area of and has a total population of 98,782 making it the smallest municipality in Denmark area-wise, the fifth most...
, Denmark (1856–58, main building and two lateral wings, later extended by J. E. GnudtzmannJohannes Emil GnudtzmannJohannes Emil Gnudtzmann was a Danish architect working in the Historicist style. His most notable works are St. Paul's Church and the extension of the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural College, both in Copenhagen. He was the father of Kaj Gnudtzmann.-Early life and education:Johannes Emil...
, listed in 1950, forge demolished in 1977)