Johan Otto von Spreckelsen (4 May 1929 — 16 March 1987) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, best known for designing the

Grande Arche La Grande Arche de la Défense (; "The Great Arch of the Defense"), originally called La Grande Arche de la Fraternité (; "Fraternity"), is a monument and building in the business district of La Défense and in the commune of Puteaux, to the west ...

of La Défense in Puteaux, near

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. He directed the creation of several modern churches in Denmark.

Life

He was born in Viborg and studied at the Viborg Katedralskole and Royal Academy of Arts in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. He later became associate professor at the Academy and from 1978 he was professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture. He later served as director up to the time of his death.

Churches

He directed the creation of several modern churches in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

: ''

Vangede Vangede is a suburb 8 km north of central Copenhagen, Denmark. This area is primarily made up of one and two family houses and two and three story apartment buildings. History The first known references to the village is from 1346 when it i ...

Kirke'' near

(1974), ''Stavnsholt Kirke'' at the city of

Farum Farum is a town on the northeast of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark, 20 km northwest of Copenhagen. The town has a population of 20,312 (1 January 2022).

(1981) and two Roman Catholic churches including one in

Esbjerg Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport town and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban population of 71,698 (1 January 2022)

(1969), St Nikolaj Church, and

Hvidovre Hvidovre is the main town in Hvidovre Municipality, Denmark. The town, a suburb of Copenhagen, is about 10 km southwest of the capital's center. It is the 2nd biggest suburb of Copenhagen, only beaten by Frederiksberg. History Hvidovre has ...

(1960), also consecrated to Saint Nicholas. He was modest about his accomplishments. Once in an interview, he declared that he was an architect who built three churches and a house. He relied heavily on simple geometrical figures, especially the quadrant, which can be seen in his churches, in the interior decorations even of church organs.

La Défense

His design won the international competition of the

in Puteaux, France, as the French President François Mitterrand felt it was the best because of its 'purity and strength'. This work of 110 meters of height, which was inaugurated in 1989, two years after his death, used with remarkable ability the technology of its time, and was inspired by the nearby Arc de Triomphe. The monument, located in the heart of the financial district of La Défense, is built of

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

and of

Carrara marble Carrara marble, Luna marble to the Romans, is a type of white or blue-grey marble popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It has been quarried since Roman times in the mountains just outside the city of Carrara in the province of Massa ...

. From its terrace, it is possible to admire a panoramic view all along the ''

Axe historique The ''Axe historique'' (; "historical axis") is a line of monuments, buildings, and thoroughfares that extends from the centre of Paris, France, to the west. It is also known as the ''Voie Triomphale'' (; "triumphal way"). The Axe Historique ...

'' with the Arc de Triomphe, the

Champs-Élysées The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc de Triomphe is l ...

, the

Luxor Obelisk The Luxor Obelisks (French: ''Obélisques de Louxor'') are a pair of Ancient Egyptian obelisks, over 3,000 years old, carved to stand either side of the portal of the Luxor Temple in the reign of Ramesses II (). The right-hand (western) stone, ...

at the

Place de la Concorde The Place de la Concorde () is one of the major public squares in Paris, France. Measuring in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées. ...

and the gardens of the

Tuileries The Tuileries Palace (french: Palais des Tuileries, ) was a royal and imperial palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine, directly in front of the Louvre. It was the usual Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from ...

and the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

beyond.

Personal life

In 1955, he was married to Karen Gerda Gustavsen. Johan Otto von Spreckelsen died in

Hørsholm Hørsholm () is an urban area on the Øresund coast approximately north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It covers most of Hørsholm Municipality and straddles the borders neighbouring Fredensborg Municipality and Rudersdal Municipality. Hørsholm prop ...

and was buried at Hørsholm Kirkegård.

Gallery

Vangede Kirke 2005-01.jpg, Vangede Kirke Stavnsholt Kirke.jpg, Stavnsholt Kirke Vangede Kirke 2005-20.png, Vangede plan Esbjerg - St.-Nikolai-Kirche.jpg, St Nikolaj, Esbjerg

References

Other sources

* Torben Weirup (ed.) (2003) ''Det Åbne Vindue, et essay om arkitekten Johan Otto von Spreckelsen'' (Charlottenlund: Luga)

External links

The Grande Arche de la Défense
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spreckelsen, Johan Otto Von 1929 births 1987 deaths People from Viborg Municipality Modernist architects Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Directors of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts 20th-century Danish architects