Henrik Bull

Henrik Bull

The National Theater in Oslo, 1899

Henrik Bull (born March 28, 1864 in Christiania (now Oslo ), † June 2, 1953 in Oslo) was a Norwegian architect .

The son of urban planner Georg Andreas Bull and nephew of violinist Ole Bull was trained at the Kristiania Tekniske Skole (1883–84) in his hometown and at the Royal Technical University (1884–87) in Berlin-Charlottenburg . He opened his first architectural office in Oslo in 1888 at the age of 24.

At the beginning of his career he made a name for himself as a church architect. Among other things, he designed the neo-Gothic St. Paul's Church (1889-1892) in the Oslo district of Grünerløkka, which was influenced by north German brick architecture . The wooden church of Uvdal (1893, Viken province ) is clearly based on the so-called dragon style of those years and thus resembles the stave churches of the Norwegian Middle Ages.

At the turn of the century, Bull created three striking buildings in central Oslo. His Nationaltheatret (1891–99) combines the sense of form of Art Nouveau with aspects of Neoclassicism and Neorococo in a very idiosyncratic way . The Historical Museum (1898–1902) and the government building (1899–1906, now the Ministry of Finance ), which was only partially built according to his plans , have an even clearer influence of Art Nouveau, which he had got to know during his Berlin years . During this time, Bull's endeavors were directed towards developing the German-Austrian variety of Art Nouveau into a specifically Norwegian Art Nouveau using elements typical of his homeland (e.g. animal ornamentation). After the death of the Norwegian architect Christian Christie in 1906, Bull was temporarily involved in the reconstruction of the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim .

Bull's later works include several neo-baroque villas in the west of Oslo and the winter studio of his friend Edvard Munch in Ekely (1929).

At times Bull was also active as an interior designer and designer of everyday objects. In 1900 he won a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris for a dining room designed by him. His Lohengrin chocolate bar , designed in 1911 for the Oslo company Freia , which was initially only available at the National Theater, was declared a national treasure in 2009 . Between 1912 and 1934, Bull was the director of the State School of Crafts and Art Industries .

literature

• Stephan Tschudi-Madsen: Henrik Bull . Oslo: Universitetsforlaget, 1984. ISBN 82-00-06270-8

Web links

Commons : Henrik Bull  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files