Nikolaus Pevsner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Nikolaus Pevsner
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| Born |
Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner
30 January 1902 |
| Died | 18 August 1983 (aged 81) |
| Resting place | Churchyard of St Peter, Clyffe Pypard, Wiltshire, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | PhD (1924) |
| Alma mater | Universities of Leipzig, Munich, Berlin, and Goethe University Frankfurt |
| Occupation | Art and architectural historian |
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Notable work
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The Buildings of England |
| Spouse(s) |
Lola Kurlbaum
(m. 1923) |
| Children | 3, including Tom Pevsner |
| Awards | Albert Medal (1975) |
Sir Nikolaus Pevsner (born January 30, 1902 – died August 18, 1983) was a famous historian from Germany who later became British. He studied art and architecture. He is best known for his huge collection of books called The Buildings of England. This series has 46 volumes, which are like guides to buildings in different parts of England. He wrote them between 1951 and 1974.
Contents
Early Life and Studies
Nikolaus Pevsner was born in Leipzig, Germany. His father, Hugo Pevsner, was a fur merchant. Nikolaus went to St. Thomas School, Leipzig. He then studied at several universities, including Munich and Berlin. In 1924, he earned his doctorate degree from Leipzig University. His special project was about the old-fashioned Baroque architecture in Leipzig.
In 1923, he married Carola Kurlbaum, who everyone called "Lola." From 1924 to 1928, he worked at the Dresden Gallery. During this time, he became very interested in modern German architecture. He also wrote a book about Italian baroque painting in 1928.
Teaching and Moving to England
Pevsner taught at the University of Göttingen from 1929 to 1933. He taught a special course on English art and architecture. However, because of new laws in Germany, he had to leave his teaching job in 1933.
He first wanted to move to Italy, but he could not find a job there. So, in 1933, Pevsner moved to England. He settled in Hampstead, a part of London. His first job in England was a research project at the University of Birmingham. This project looked at how designers worked in factories. He wrote a book about it called An Enquiry into Industrial Art in England (1937). After that, he worked as a buyer for a furniture store in London. He bought modern textiles, glass, and ceramics.
Important Books and Ideas
Around this time, Pevsner finished writing Pioneers of the Modern Movement. This book was about the history of modern design. It talked about how important architects like Walter Gropius were. The book became very famous and helped Pevsner become a leading architectural historian in England. It has been printed many times and translated into many languages. The English version is now called Pioneers of Modern Design.
Second World War and Internment
In 1940, during the Second World War, Pevsner was taken to an internment camp in Huyton, England. This happened because he was from Germany, and the government saw him as an "enemy alien." He was released after three months, thanks to help from friends.
After his release, he helped clear up bomb damage from the the Blitz. He also wrote articles and art reviews for Die Zeitung. This was an anti-German newspaper for Germans living in England. While he was in the internment camp, he started writing another important book. It was called An Outline of European Architecture. This book was very popular. It was printed seven times, translated into 16 languages, and sold over half a million copies.
Post-War Career and Teaching
In 1942, Pevsner got two regular jobs. He had been writing for the Architectural Review magazine since 1936. From 1943 to 1945, he was the acting editor of the magazine. He also started to become interested in Victorian architecture. He wrote a series of articles about London's 19th-century buildings.
Also in 1942, Pevsner became a part-time lecturer at Birkbeck College in London. He worked there until 1969, becoming the college's first Professor of Art History. He also taught at Cambridge University for almost 30 years. He was a special professor at Cambridge from 1949 to 1955. He also taught at Oxford in 1968.
The Buildings of England Series
Pevsner noticed that there was not much information about architectural history in England. Travelers did not have good guides to learn about buildings in different areas. So, he suggested an idea to Allen Lane, the founder of Penguin Books. He proposed a series of detailed guides for each county in England.
Work on The Buildings of England series began in 1945. The first book was published in 1951. Pevsner wrote 32 of these books himself. He wrote 10 more with other people. Four books in the original series were written by others. After his death, work on the series continued. It now covers the rest of the United Kingdom. The series is now called Pevsner Architectural Guides.
Other Important Work
Besides The Buildings of England, Pevsner also started the Pelican History of Art series in 1953. This was a multi-volume survey of art history. Many of the books in this series are still considered very important.
Pevsner also gave many talks on the BBC Third Programme. From 1946 to 1950, he gave nine talks about painters and European art. By 1977, he had given 78 talks for the BBC. In 1955, he gave a series of six talks called The Englishness of English Art. In these talks, he explored what made English art special. His lectures in Washington, D.C., were published in 1976 as A History of Building Types.
In 1957, Pevsner helped start the Victorian Society. This group works to study and protect Victorian and Edwardian architecture and other arts. He was the chairman of the society for ten years. He worked with others to save old houses, churches, and railway stations. He also believed that art history should be a required subject in art schools.
Pevsner became a British citizen in 1946. He received several honors for his work. In 1953, he was made a CBE. In 1969, he was made a knight for his contributions to art and architecture.
Death and Legacy
Nikolaus Pevsner died at his home in London in August 1983. His wife, Lola, had passed away 20 years before him. He is buried in the churchyard of the Church of St Peter, Clyffe Pypard, in Wiltshire.
His elder son, Dieter, was an editor at Penguin Books. His younger son, Tom, became a film producer and director. He worked on several James Bond films. Many students learned from Pevsner, including Phoebe Stanton.
In 2007, a special blue plaque was placed on Pevsner's house by English Heritage. This plaque honors important people who lived in that building.
Pevsner helped start the architectural guides for Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. However, he did not write any of those books himself. The guides for Great Britain were finished in 2016. The Irish series is still being worked on.
Notable Ideas and Theories
Pevsner had a famous idea about buildings and architecture. He said: "A bicycle shed is a building; Lincoln Cathedral is a piece of architecture." This means that almost anything that encloses space for people to move in is a building. But the word "architecture" is only for buildings that are designed to be beautiful.
He also explained that buildings can be beautiful in three ways:
- Their outside look (façade).
- Their shape and materials.
- Their inside spaces.
Archive
The Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles has a large collection of Nikolaus Pevsner's papers. This includes his notes, photographs, books, and manuscripts.
Research notes for The Buildings of England series are kept at the Historic England Archive in Swindon.
See also
In Spanish: Nikolaus Pevsner para niños
- Pevsner Architectural Guides
