Jacobus Oud
Encyclopedia
Jacobus Johannes Pieter Oud, commonly called J. J. P. Oud (9 February 1890 - 5 April 1963) was a Dutch
architect
. His fame began as a follower of the De Stijl
movement.
Oud was born in Purmerend
, the son of a tobacco and wine merchant. As a young architect, he was influenced by Berlage
, and studied under Theodor Fischer
in Munich for a time. He worked together with W.M. Dudok
in Leiden, which is where he also met Theo van Doesburg
and became involved with the movement De Stijl
.
Between 1918 and 1933, Oud became Municipal Housing Architect for Rotterdam. During this period when many laborers were coming to the city, he mostly worked on socially progressive residential projects. This included projects in the areas of Spangen, Kiefhoek and the Witte Dorp. Oud was one of a number of Dutch architects who attempted to reconcile strict, rational, 'scientific' cost-effective construction technique against the psychological needs and aesthetic expectations of the users. His own answer was to practice 'poetic functionalism'.
In 1927, he was one of the fifteen architects who contributed to the influential modernist Weissenhof Estate
exhibition.
In America Oud is perhaps best known for being lauded and adopted by the mainstream modernist movement, then summarily kicked out on stylistic grounds. As of 1932, he was considered one of the four greatest modern architects (along with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
, Walter Gropius
and Le Corbusier
), and was prominently featured in Philip Johnson
's International Style
exhibition. Johnson maintained a correspondence with Oud, tried to help him get work, commissioned a house for his mother (never built), and sent him socks and bicycle tires.
In 1945, after the end of World War II
allowed photographs of Oud's 1941 Shell Headquarters building in The Hague
to be published in America, the architectural press sarcastically condemned his use of ornament ("embroidery") as contrary to the spirit of modernism.
After World War II
, Oud designed the Dutch National War Monument in Amsterdam
and the monument on De Grebbeberg. By then, he had mostly let go of any Stijl influences. He continued to take a highly individualistic stance against mainstream modernism. He designed projects such as the Spaarbank in Rotterdam, office-building De Utrecht in Rotterdam and the Children's health-centre in Arnhem (Bio-herstellingsoord).
Oud's brother, Pieter Oud
was mayor
of Rotterdam
.
Oud died in 1963 at the age of 73 in Wassenaar
.
PUBLICATIONS:
Taverne, Ed, Broekhuizen, Dolf, J.J.P. Oud's Shell Building. Design and reception, Rotterdam: NAi publishers 1995 (ISBN 90-72469-73-9)
Broekhuizen, Dolf, De Stijl toen / J.J.P. Oud nu. De bijdrage van architect J.J.P. Oud aan herdenken, herstellen en bouwen in Nederland (1938–1963), dissertation University of Groningen, Rotterdam, NAi publishers 2000 (ISBN 90-5662-193-9)
Taverne, Ed; Wagenaar, Cor; Vletter, Martien de; Broekhuizen, Dolf (ed.), J.J.P. Oud Poetic Functionalist 1890-1963, Complete Works, Rotterdam: NAi publishers 2001 (ISBN 90-5662-198-8)
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
. His fame began as a follower of the De Stijl
De Stijl
De Stijl , propagating the group's theories. Next to van Doesburg, the group's principal members were the painters Piet Mondrian , Vilmos Huszár , and Bart van der Leck , and the architects Gerrit Rietveld , Robert van 't Hoff , and J.J.P. Oud...
movement.
Oud was born in Purmerend
Purmerend
Purmerend is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.The city is surrounded by polders, such as the Purmer, Beemster and the Wormer. The city became the trade center of the region but the population grew relatively slow. Only after 1960 did the population...
, the son of a tobacco and wine merchant. As a young architect, he was influenced by Berlage
Hendrik Petrus Berlage
thumb|120px|left|BerlageHendrik Petrus Berlage, Amsterdam, 21 February 1856 — The Hague 12 August 1934, was a prominent Dutch architect.-Overview:...
, and studied under Theodor Fischer
Theodor Fischer
Theodor Fischer was a German architect and teacher.Fischer planned public housing projects for the city of Munich beginning in 1893. He was the joint founder and first chairman of the Deutscher Werkbund , as well as member of the German version of the Garden city movement...
in Munich for a time. He worked together with W.M. Dudok
Willem Marinus Dudok
Willem Marinus Dudok , was a Dutch modernist architect, best known for the brick Hilversum City Hall....
in Leiden, which is where he also met Theo van Doesburg
Theo van Doesburg
Theo van Doesburg was a Dutch artist, practicing in painting, writing, poetry and architecture. He is best known as the founder and leader of De Stijl.-Biography:-Early life:...
and became involved with the movement De Stijl
De Stijl
De Stijl , propagating the group's theories. Next to van Doesburg, the group's principal members were the painters Piet Mondrian , Vilmos Huszár , and Bart van der Leck , and the architects Gerrit Rietveld , Robert van 't Hoff , and J.J.P. Oud...
.
Between 1918 and 1933, Oud became Municipal Housing Architect for Rotterdam. During this period when many laborers were coming to the city, he mostly worked on socially progressive residential projects. This included projects in the areas of Spangen, Kiefhoek and the Witte Dorp. Oud was one of a number of Dutch architects who attempted to reconcile strict, rational, 'scientific' cost-effective construction technique against the psychological needs and aesthetic expectations of the users. His own answer was to practice 'poetic functionalism'.
In 1927, he was one of the fifteen architects who contributed to the influential modernist Weissenhof Estate
Weissenhof Estate
The Weissenhof Estate is a housing estate built for exhibition in Stuttgart in 1927...
exhibition.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was a German architect. He is commonly referred to and addressed as Mies, his surname....
, Walter Gropius
Walter Gropius
Walter Adolph Georg Gropius was a German architect and founder of the Bauhaus School who, along with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier, is widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture....
and Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
), and was prominently featured in Philip Johnson
Philip Johnson
Philip Cortelyou Johnson was an influential American architect.In 1930, he founded the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and later , as a trustee, he was awarded an American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and the first Pritzker Architecture...
's International Style
International style (architecture)
The International style is a major architectural style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, the formative decades of Modern architecture. The term originated from the name of a book by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson, The International Style...
exhibition. Johnson maintained a correspondence with Oud, tried to help him get work, commissioned a house for his mother (never built), and sent him socks and bicycle tires.
In 1945, after the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
allowed photographs of Oud's 1941 Shell Headquarters building in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
to be published in America, the architectural press sarcastically condemned his use of ornament ("embroidery") as contrary to the spirit of modernism.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Oud designed the Dutch National War Monument in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and the monument on De Grebbeberg. By then, he had mostly let go of any Stijl influences. He continued to take a highly individualistic stance against mainstream modernism. He designed projects such as the Spaarbank in Rotterdam, office-building De Utrecht in Rotterdam and the Children's health-centre in Arnhem (Bio-herstellingsoord).
Oud's brother, Pieter Oud
Pieter Oud
Pieter Jacobus Oud was a prominent liberal Dutch politician who served held numerous political offices, including member of the House of Representatives, Minister of Finance and Mayor of Rotterdam. He was one of the founding member of the Dutch Labour Party and the People's Party for Freedom and...
was mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
.
Oud died in 1963 at the age of 73 in Wassenaar
Wassenaar
Wassenaar is a town in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. A fairly affluent suburb of The Hague, Wassenaar lies 10 km north of that city on the N44 highway near the North Sea coast. It is part of the Haaglanden region...
.
Chronology of works
- 1906 House in PurmerendPurmerendPurmerend is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.The city is surrounded by polders, such as the Purmer, Beemster and the Wormer. The city became the trade center of the region but the population grew relatively slow. Only after 1960 did the population...
. - 1912 Movie theatre, block of worker housing and small individual houses in Purmerend.
- 1913 - 1914 Small houses in and about Leiden.
- 1915 Project for a municipal bath house, unexecuted.
- 1917 House in Katwijk-aan-Zee (collaboration with Kamerlingh Onnes). House in Noordwijkerhout (collaboration with Theo van DoesburgTheo van DoesburgTheo van Doesburg was a Dutch artist, practicing in painting, writing, poetry and architecture. He is best known as the founder and leader of De Stijl.-Biography:-Early life:...
). Project for a row of seaside houses, unexcecuted. - 1918 Spangen, Blocks I and V, Worker housing in RotterdamRotterdamRotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
. - 1919 Spangen, Blocks VIII and IX. Projects for a factory and a bonded Warehouse, unexcecuted.
- 1920 - 1921 Tuschendijken, Blocks I to IV and VI in Rotterdam.
- 1921 Project for a house in BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, unexcecuted. - 1922 Garden Village in Rotterdam at Oud-Mathenesse.
- 1923 Superintendent's office at Oud-Mathenesse, temporary.
- 1925 Café de Unie in Rotterdam
- 1926 Project for Hotel Stiassni in BrnoBrnoBrno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
, CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, unexcecuted. Competition project for Rotterdam Exchange, unexcecuted. - 1926 - 1927 Worker's Houses at the Hoek of Holland
- 1927 Row of 5 houses, Weissenhof Housing ExpositionWeissenhof EstateThe Weissenhof Estate is a housing estate built for exhibition in Stuttgart in 1927...
, StuttgartStuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
. - 1927 Additions to the villa Allegonda at Katwijk-aan-Zee.
- 1928 - 1930 Kiefhoek Housing Development in Rotterdam.
- 1931 Project for steel apartments in Rotterdam, unexcecuted. Project for house in Pinehurst, unexecuted.
- 1938-1948 Shell Headquarters, The Hague
- 1942-1957 Spaarbank, Rotterdam
- 1952-1960 Bio-herstellingsoord, Arnhem
- 1954-1961 Officebuilding De Utrecht, Rotterdam
- 1956, National MonumentNational Monument (Amsterdam)The National Monument is a 1956 World War II monument on Dam Square in Amsterdam...
(with sculptor John Raedecker), Dam SquareDam SquareDam Square, or simply the Dam is a town square in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. Its notable buildings and frequent events make it one of the most well-known and important locations in the city.- Location and description :...
, Amsterdam
PUBLICATIONS:
Taverne, Ed, Broekhuizen, Dolf, J.J.P. Oud's Shell Building. Design and reception, Rotterdam: NAi publishers 1995 (ISBN 90-72469-73-9)
Broekhuizen, Dolf, De Stijl toen / J.J.P. Oud nu. De bijdrage van architect J.J.P. Oud aan herdenken, herstellen en bouwen in Nederland (1938–1963), dissertation University of Groningen, Rotterdam, NAi publishers 2000 (ISBN 90-5662-193-9)
Taverne, Ed; Wagenaar, Cor; Vletter, Martien de; Broekhuizen, Dolf (ed.), J.J.P. Oud Poetic Functionalist 1890-1963, Complete Works, Rotterdam: NAi publishers 2001 (ISBN 90-5662-198-8)