Henrik Bull (28 March 1864 – 2 June 1953) was a Norwegian architect and designer. Among his works are the Paulus Church at

Grünerløkka Grünerløkka is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway. Grünerløkka became part of the city of Oslo (then Christiania) in 1858. Grünerløkka was traditionally a working class district; however, since the late 20th century the area has increasi ...

in Oslo, the National Theater, the Historical Museum in Oslo, and the Government Building. He also designed coins for

Norges Bank Norges Bank / Noregs Bank is the central bank of Norway. The bank shall promote economic stability in Norway. Norges Bank also manages the Government Pension Fund of Norway and the bank’s own foreign exchange reserves. History The history of ...

, and participated at the Kristiania Jubilée exhibition at

Frogner Frogner is a residential and retail borough in the West End of Oslo, Norway, with a population of 59,269 as of 2020. In addition to the original Frogner, the borough incorporates Bygdøy, Uranienborg and Majorstuen. The borough is named af ...

during 1914. He directed the

Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry The National College of Art and Design ( no, Statens håndverks- og kunstindustriskole) was established in 1818. In 1996 the National College of Art and Design became part of Oslo National Academy of the Arts (''Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo'', KHiO). ...

from 1912 to 1934. Paulus kirke Oslo

Early and personal life

Bull was born in Christiania as the son of architect

Georg Andreas Bull Georg Andreas Bull (26 March 1829 – 1 February 1917) was a Norwegian architect and chief building inspector in Christiania (now Oslo) for forty years. He was among the major architects in the country, and performed surveying studies and arche ...

and Emilie Constance Hjelm. His father was among the major architects in the country, was chief building inspector in Christiania for forty years, and performed surveying and archeological research. Bull married actress Mette Marie Berntsen Wang in 1905. He was a nephew of violinist Ole Bull and

Knud Bull Knud Geelmuyden Bull (10 September 1811 – 23 December 1889) was a Norwegian painter and counterfeiter. He studied as a painter, was convicted for printing false bank notes, and was deported from the United Kingdom to Australia during 1846 ...

, and a first cousin of judge and politician

Edvard Hagerup Bull Edvard Hagerup Bull (23 January 1855 – 25 March 1938) was a Norwegian jurist and assessor of the Supreme Court of Norway. He was a member of the Norwegian Parliament and government official with the Conservative Party of Norway. Background Ed ...

and architect

Schak Bull Schak August Steenberg Bull (10 May 1858 – 25 January 1956) was a Norwegian architect. Personal life He was born in Årstad (municipality), Årstad as the son of Colonel Jens Munthe Bull (1815-1905) and his wife Johanne Margrethe Hagerup (18 ...

Works

Churches

Bull's first major commission was the Paulus Church in Kristiania. This church, built in Gothic Revival style, is located at

, and was finished during 1892. He also did research work on the old

stave church A stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church building once common in north-western Europe. The name derives from the building's structure of post and lintel construction, a type of timber framing where the load-bearing ore-pine posts ar ...

es. His Uvdal Church was built in romantic style, and finished during 1893. Another of his works was the Åmot Church at Rena, a timber church. Nationaltheatret E

Monumental buildings

Bull designed three of the most important new buildings in Kristiania about 1900. The National Theatre (1891-1899) is regarded as one of the most successful buildings in Norway from the

historicism Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying their history, that is, by studying the process by which they came about. The term is widely ...

period. The Historical Museum (1902) was based on deceased architect Karl August Henriksen's draft from 1890. The Government Building (1904) was based on a draft by architect Stener Lenschow from 1887/1891.

Jubilée exhibition 1914

Bull was responsible for the buildings at the

1914 Jubilee Exhibition The 1914 Jubilee Exhibition took place in Kristiania, Norway, from May 5 to October 11, 1914. It marked the centennial anniversary of the 1814 constitution and focused on industry and agriculture. The main location was the grounds of Frogner Manor ...

in Kristiania. He also designed several of the exhibition buildings, including the ''bridge'', the ''Machinery Hall'', the ''Industry Hall''. The buildings were demolished after the exhibition. Oslo US embassy residence

Design work

*Bull also designed furniture and other utilitarian articles. One of his works, an exclusive dining room set, is located at the

Norwegian Museum of Cultural History Norsk Folkemuseum (Norwegian Museum of Cultural History), at Bygdøy, Oslo, Norway, is a museum of cultural history with extensive collections of artifacts from all social groups and all regions of the country. It also incorporates a large op ...

Bygdøy Bygdøy or Bygdø is a peninsula situated on the western side of Oslo, Norway. Administratively, Bygdøy belongs to the borough of Frogner; historically Bygdøy was part of Aker Municipality and became part of Oslo in 1948. Bygdøy is a popul ...

. His most widespread works were the coins designed for

in 1907 and in 1923-1924. *The Art nouveau or Jugendstyle residence of the

United States Ambassador to Norway The United States Ambassador to Norway (formally the Ambassador of the United States to the Kingdom of Norway) is the official representative of the President and the Government of the United States of America to the King and Government of Norw ...

, called the Villa Otium, was designed by him.The building was inspired by Russian architecture, and was built for Hans Andreas Olsen, who had encountered the style when he was the Consul General for Norway at

St. Petersburg, Russia Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

with his wife Ester, the niece of Alfred Nobel.

Bibliography

Footnotes

Endnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bull, Henrik 1864 births 1953 deaths Architects from Oslo Artists from Oslo Norwegian designers Art Nouveau architects Coin designers Norwegian furniture designers