Sigurd Lewerentz, Pure Aesthetics
St. Mark’s Church, Stockholm
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An atmospheric masterpiece of modern sacred architecture: Sigurd Lewerentz’s Markuskyrkan (St Mark’s Church) in Stockholm’s Björkhagen district
1st edition
, 2021Hardback
352 pages, 219 color and 15 b/w illustrations and plans
20 x 27 cm
ISBN 978-3-03860-243-9
St Mark’s Church in Björkhagen, one of Stockholm’s southern districts, is one of Sigurd Lewerentz’s (1885–1975) key designs. In contrast to Lewerentz’s other famous church, St Peter’s in Klippan, no book has been published to date that constitutes a fitting tribute to this masterpiece of brick brutalism.
This new building monograph now opulently and carefully fills this gap. Some 200 newly taken color photographs and especially drawn explanatory plans, alongside essays by distinguished authorities on Lewerentz’s arechitecture, make this book a visual feast. It demonstrates the exquisitely atmospheric St Mark’s Church as a whole and its embedment in the urban landscape. Moreover, it highlights many details, such as floor coverings, furnishings, lamps, banisters, the altar, and other liturgical features. The essays explore aspects of materiality and topics such as the church’s special acoustics and atmosphere in an attempt to reveal the secret of Sigurd Lewerentz’s church designs.
Karin Björkquist is a Stockholm-based photographer. Her work focuses mainly on interior architecture and portraits. Her photographs have been printed in books and magazines throughout the world.
Sébastien Corbari is an architect with AIX Arkitekter in Stockholm. He is a specialist in Scandinavian architecture, and also works as a photographer.
"A carefully developed and beautifully executed book. " John Hill, A Daily Dose of Architecture Books
"The showcasing of the architecture’s hard-to-convey aesthetics and materiality through photography, texts and drawings is of the highest quality—as a MasterChef rating, I would give it 10/10. " Esa Laaksonen, ARK Finnland