Georges Alexandre Closson (1865,

Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

– 1945, Paris) was a French architect.

Biography

Closson's father, François Closson (1831 – 1874) was a contract metal worker, while his mother, Marie-Emilie Denis (1837 – 1921) was an architect. Closson married Marie-Geneviève Dissard (1868 – 1949) in Paris. Their children were Jean-Emile (1896 – 1940), an architect, and Paul-Charles (1900 – 1973), a chemical engineer. Closson studied at the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...

, developing a traditional design style that emphasized a neo-Gothic character, sometimes influenced by his work in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. Closson did, however, take advantage of advances in the use of reinforced concrete and incorporated the technology into his otherwise traditional church designs.

Works

Closson participated in the design of Heliopolis, a new city in the desert near

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

commenced in 1905. Closson worked with chief architect

Alexandre Marcel Alexandre Marcel (11 September 1860 - 30 June 1928) was a French architect, best known for his Belle Époque interpretations of "exotic" international architectural styles. Marcel studied at the Parisian École des Beaux-Arts in the atelier of ...

for developer

Édouard Louis Joseph Empain Édouard is both a French given name and a surname, equivalent to Edward in English. Notable people with the name include: * Édouard Balladur (born 1929), French politician * Édouard Boubat (1923–1999), French photographer * Édouard Colonne ( ...

. Closson also executed Marcel's competition-winning design for a memorial chapel commemorating the Battles of the Marne at

Dormans Dormans () is a commune located in the Marne department and in the Grand Est region of France.Basilica of Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc The Saint Joan of Arc Basilica (french: Basilique Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc) is located on the Rue de Torcy and the Rue de la Chapelle in the ''quartier de la Chapelle'' of the 18th arrondissement of Paris. Its design was the subject of a contentious des ...

in Paris over a competing design by

Auguste Perret Auguste Perret (12 February 1874 – 25 February 1954) was a French architect and a pioneer of the architectural use of reinforced concrete. His major works include the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the first Art Deco building in Paris; the C ...

. The rejection of Perret's ambitious modern design in favor of Closson's more conservative design became a subject of controversy. Closson's design was itself less archeologically correct, nearer in style to the contemporary

Église Saint-Pierre-de-Chaillot Saint-Pierre de Chaillot () is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Chaillot neighborhood of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, at 31, avenue Marceau. History The parish of Saint-Pierre de Chaillot dates back to the 11th century. The historic ...

by Émile Bois. The new basilica was partially completed between 1928 and 1940. Construction was suspended by the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The church was completed in the 1960s to a more modern design by Pierre Isnard.

References

* Fabien Bellat, « Georges Closson. L’architecte, l'Orient et l'ordinaire ». {{DEFAULTSORT:Closson, Georges 20th-century French architects École des Beaux-Arts alumni 1865 births 1945 deaths Architects from Reims