Guðjón Samúelsson (16 April 1887 – 25 April 1950) was a State
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 ...
of
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
, and the first Icelander to be educated in architecture.
He's been described as one of Iceland's most influential architects.
His notable designs include the main building of the
University of Iceland
The University of Iceland ( is, Háskóli Íslands ) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' s ...
, the
National Theatre of Iceland
The National Theatre of Iceland (NTI) ( is, Þjóðleikhúsið, pronounced ) in Reykjavík, is the national theatre of Iceland.
The theater, designed by Guðjón Samúelsson, was formally opened on 20 April 1950. Since 2020, the artistic directo ...
, the
Landakot Roman Catholic Cathedral in
Reykjavík
Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...
, and the Church of
Akureyri
Akureyri (, locally ) is a town in northern Iceland. It is Iceland's fifth-largest municipality, after Reykjavík, Hafnarfjörður, Reykjanesbær and Kópavogur, and the largest town outside Iceland's more populated southwest corner.
Nicknamed ...
. His final and most recognized work is the
Hallgrímskirkja
Hallgrímskirkja (, ''Church of Hallgrímur'') is a Lutheran (Church of Iceland) parish church in Reykjavík, Iceland. At tall, it is the largest church in Iceland and among the tallest structures in the country. Known for its distinctively cur ...
church, which was commissioned in 1937.
Biography
Not much of his early life is known. He completed his studies in 1919.
Icelandic architect Pétur Ármannsson describes him as a dominant figure in Icelandic architecture during the 1920s.
During this time, Guðjón was commissioned to plan the major buildings constructed by the Icelandic state.
He played a key role in the urban planning of Reykjavík, just as Iceland was urbanizing and modernizing.
He tried to create an Icelandic style of architecture. Many of his designs were said to be inspired by the natural geology of Iceland. Guðjón's design of Hallgrímskirkja was, for instance, inspired by basalt columns, such as those at
Svartifoss
Svartifoss ( Icelandic for "black waterfall", ) is a waterfall in Skaftafell in Vatnajökull National Park in Iceland, and is one of the most popular sights in the park. It is surrounded by dark lava columns, which gave rise to its name.
The bas ...
. Guðjón characterized his design of the main-building of the University of Iceland as a distinct and new Icelandic style that he believed would contribute to the revival of the
Icelandic Commonwealth
The Icelandic Commonwealth, also known as the Icelandic Free State, was the political unit existing in Iceland between the establishment of the Althing in 930 and the pledge of fealty to the Norwegian king with the Old Covenant in 1262. With t ...
. When the British
occupied Iceland in 1940, the British commander reportedly opted not to seize the University of Iceland main-building because he considered it too beautiful.
His architecture for rural areas, such as the Héraðsskólinn school house, was inspired by Icelandic turf houses.
Attempts to re-introduce turf house style buildings to rural areas ended in the 1930s, as these buildings were neither deemed cost-effective nor useful.
Guðjón, for instance, opted not for the turf house style when he designed the school house at Reykholt.
Many Icelandic church designs are influenced by those of Guðjón, and blend naturalism with modernism.
A retrospective exhibition of Guðjón's work was held at the
Hafnarborg
Hafnarborg, The Hafnarfjördur Centre of Culture and Fine Art, is a public art museum located in Hafnarfjörður, Iceland. It was opened in May 1988 but the foundation for the institution was laid in 1983 when Dr. Sverrir Magnússon and his wi ...
in
Hafnarfjördur in 2019-2020, on the centenary of his graduation (1919) and appointment as state architect (1920).
Other works
*
Sundhöllin swimming pool.
* Museum of local history in
Kópasker
Kópasker () is a small village with approximately 120 inhabitants in the municipality of Norðurþing, situated on the eastern shore of Öxarfjörður in northeast Iceland.
Kópasker (church 1).jpg, Church of Kópasker: ''Snartarstaðarkirkja' ...
* The house in the corner Austurstræti / Pósthússtræti, Reykjavík, built in 1916/1917, is the first large building in Iceland. it was influenced by
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
and Danish Nationalist Romanticism and ornated with statues by
Einar Jónsson
Einar Jónsson (11 May 1874 – 18 October 1954) was an Icelandic sculptor, born in ''Galtafell'', a farm in southern Iceland.
Biography
At a young age Einar proved himself to be an unusual child with an artistic bent. At that time there was li ...
. Inside the building, there was an agency of
Landsbankinn
Landsbankinn (literally "the National bank"), originally NBI hf., is an Icelandic bank headquartered in Reykjavík. It was established in 2008 by the Icelandic government out of the domestic operations of its predecessor Landsbanki which failed du ...
and the
Reykjavíkurapótek that opened in 1930. After its closure, the restaurant
Apótekið moved in
[Grapevine.is: The Building that Shaped the City Austurstræti 16](_blank)
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* Landspítalinn
* Hótel Borg
* Héraðsskólinn school house. Constructed in 1928, the school has since been converted into a hostel. Guðjón chose the location for the school house; he chose this particular location due to the nearby hot spring and due to the pleasant scenery.
* Landakotskirkja (Landakot's Church), formally Basilika Krists konungs (The Basilica of Christ the King), which is the cathedral of the Catholic Church in Iceland
The Catholic Church in Iceland is part of the Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope. The island comprises a single diocese, the Diocese of Reykjavík. , the ordinary is Bishop Dávid Bartimej Tencer. The diocese is not part ...
.
* Sundhöll Keflavíkur.
File:Hallgrímskirkja.jpeg, Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavík
File:Landakotskirkja.JPG, Landakotskirkja in Reykjavík
File:UniversityIceland.JPG, University of Iceland
File:Akureyrarkirkja fronte.JPG, Akureyrarkirkja in Akureyri
File:Reykjavik National Library National Theatre.jpg, National Theater (Þjóðleikhúsið) from Guðjón Samúelsson and the old Building of the National Library in Reykjavík
Further reading
* Nannini, Sofia. 2020. "Icelandic Concrete Surfaces: Guðjon Samuelsson’s Steining (1930–50)." The Construction History Society
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gudjon Samuelsson
Samuelsson, Gudjon
Samuelsson, Gudjon
20th-century Icelandic people
Icelandic architects
Reykjavík