Peter Celsing, 1920-1974
Nordic Modernity
Peter Celsing belonged to the last generation of modern Swedish architects who were direct inheritors of the romantic tradition. Like his masters, in his work he not only kept the construction process under control in all its phases and details, but also designed the furniture, in addition to incorporating pieces by other artists.
As a child he was introduced by his father to the architecture of the Tessins, symbols of Sweden’s splendor. In adolescence he started out as a draftsman for Ivar Tengbom in the Royal Palace, and traveled with his mother to Italy, where he was blessed with a grant from the Swedish Institute. Soon he was excelling at school – first at the Royal Institute of Technology under Erik Gunnar Asplund, later at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts under Paul Hedqvist. But it was Sigurd Lewerentz who most influenced Celsing, especially as a result of their working together in Uppsala Cathedral, a post Celsing took on after his stint as chief architect of the Stockholm Tramways... [+]
