Michel de Klerk

Michel de Klerk (* November 24, 1884 in Amsterdam, † November 24, 1923 ) was a Dutch architect. He is considered one of the main representatives of the expressionist Amsterdam School.

Early years

De Klerk was born in 1884 as the 25th child of a then 78 -year-old diamond cutter, who died in 1887. Michel grew up in poverty in Amsterdam's Jewish quarter. But since he already revealed to the elementary school great talent at drawing him to attend a secondary school was made possible. 1898 was the architect Eduard Cuypers the four- year-olds as a service boy in his office a job where de Klerk should remain for twelve years. There Johan van der Mey and Piet Kramer, the three main representatives of the Amsterdam School should be combined with de Klerk worked.

Amsterdam School

Even if Cuypers himself was a fairly traditional architect, he let his employees but many freedoms and offered them access to his extensive library. In addition, he took de Klerk especially on and let him do an apprenticeship as a draftsman. In this atmosphere, de Klerk and his staff were able to develop their talents. After de Klerk in 1910 a secretary van Cuypers married and a trip through Scandinavia had made, he settled as a draftsman in Sloten. His first running job was for a house in Uithoorn 1911. Architect and project manager HAJ Baanders gave de Klerk then commissioned to design a block of flats for workers in Amsterdam.

Since then, his name is primarily associated with ' social housing '. His most famous building is the Het Schip housing complex in Amsterdam. Along with Kramer designed de Klerk also a large complex for the social democratic Cooperative De Dageraad ', also in Amsterdam. Sure played de Klerk left political views a role in awarding the contract.

Plan Berlage

As 1918 began, Amsterdam after the plan by HP Extend Berlage ( the 'Plan Zuid ') de Klerk was one of the executive architect. The size and political importance of the project, however, restricted him in his creativity excessively. Therefore, he was confined to individual orders. When this proved to be very successful, he became increasingly depressed. A last major work was the department store ' De Bijenkorf ' in The Hague by Piet Kramer, which also marks an end point of the Amsterdam School architectural style as. Even before the design was completed, de Klerk died on his 39th birthday from pneumonia. His latest project, the spire of a reformed church in IJsselstein was still running after his death at the instigation of his wife.

Works ( selection)

Design of the block Het Schip, 1917

Tag at block Het Schip (1917-1921)

Reconstruction of a working-class home in the block Het Schip (1917-1921)

Block Vrijheidslaan (1921-1922) in Amsterdam

Houses Thèrése Schwartzeplein in Amsterdam