Sigurd Lewerentz, Architect

Book excerpt: Sigurd Lewerentz (1885-1975) was initially educated as mechanical engineer in Gothenburg. Yet it was his architectural apprenticeship in Munich 1909-10 that set him on his path as an architect, opening his own office in Stockholm in 1911. Although his built work is relatively small, Lewerentz is revered as one of Sweden's most eminent architects. Cemeteries and sacred buildings became a core part of Lewerentz's oeuvre, including Stockholm's South Cemetery (1914-17), Malmo Eastern Cemetery (1916), St. Mark's Church, Bjorkhagen (1956), and Petri Church, Klippan (1963). In association with Gunnar Asplund, he was also the main architect for the Stockholm International Exhibition (1930), and in collaboration with Erik Lallerstedt and David Hellden he created a masterpiece of functionalist architecture, the Malmo City Theatre (1935). Sigurd Lewerentz, Architect is a reprint of the first ever monograph on his work, originally published in English 1987 and long out of print. It tells the story of Lewerentz's life and presents his entire work in text and many photographs, drawings and plans.