Gottfried Semper

Gottfried Semper

German architect and theorist (1803–1879)

Died aged 75SagittariusHamburg

Biography

Gottfried Semper (German: [ˈɡɔtfʁiːt ˈzɛmpɐ]; 29 November 1803 – 15 May 1879) was a German architect, art critic, and professor of architecture who designed and built the Semper Opera House in Dresden between 1838 and 1841. In 1849 he took part in the May Uprising in Dresden and was put on the government's wanted list. He fled first to Zürich and later to London. He returned to Germany after the 1862 amnesty granted to the revolutionaries.

Semper wrote extensively on the origins of architecture, especially in his book The Four Elements of Architecture (1851), and was one of the major figures in the controversy surrounding the polychrome architectural style of ancient Greece. He designed works at all scales—from major urban interventions such as the redesign of the Ringstraße in Vienna, to a baton for Richard Wagner. His unrealised design for an opera house in Munich was, without permission, adapted by Wagner for the Bayreuth Festspielhaus.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Read the full article

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Career highlights

Career & roles

  • professor

Employers / organisations

  • Jacques Ignace Hittorff
  • Franz Christian Gau
  • Dresden Academy of Fine Arts
  • ETH Zurich
  • Great Exhibition

Notable works

  • Semperoper
  • Old Synagogue Dresden
  • Kunsthistorisches Museum
  • Natural History Museum, Vienna
  • Schwerin Castle

Genres

  • historicism
  • Renaissance Revival architecture

Family

Children
Manfred SemperEmanuel SemperHans SemperAnna von Sickel
Parents
Christian Gottfried Emanuel SemperJohanna Marie Semper
Siblings
Johann Carl Semper

Awards & honours (1)

  • Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts order

Quick answers about Gottfried Semper

How old was Gottfried Semper?
Gottfried Semper died on May 15, 1879 at the age of 75.
When is Gottfried Semper's birthday?
Gottfried Semper was born on November 29, 1803.
Where was Gottfried Semper born?
Gottfried Semper was born in Hamburg.
What is Gottfried Semper's zodiac sign?
Gottfried Semper's zodiac sign is Sagittarius.
What is Gottfried Semper's nationality?
Gottfried Semper is a citizen of Hamburg.
What does Gottfried Semper do?
Gottfried Semper is known as art historian, architect, teacher, university teacher.
How many children did Gottfried Semper have?
Wikidata lists 4 children of Gottfried Semper.

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