Background
Berlage was born in Amsterdam.
Berlage was born in Amsterdam.
He studied architecture at the Zurich Institute of Technology between 1875 and 1878 after which he traveled extensively for 3 years through Europe.
A published author, Berlage held memberships in various architectural societies including Congrès Internationaux d’Architecture Moderne I.
Berlage was influenced by the Neo-Romanesque brickwork architecture of Henry Hobson Richardson and of the combination of structures of iron seen with brick of the Castle of the Three Geckos of Domènech i Montaner. This influence is visible in his design for the Amsterdam Commodities Exchange, for which he would also draw on the ideas of Viollet-le-Duc. The load-bearing bare brick walls and the notion of the primacy of space, and of walls as the creators of form, would be the constitutive principles of the "Hollandse Zakelijkheid".
A visit Berlage made to the United States. in 1911 greatly affected his architecture.
From then on the organic architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright would be a significant influence. Lectures he gave when returned to Europe would help to disseminate Wright"s thoughts in Germany.
Considered the "Father of Modern architecture" in the Netherlands and the intermediary between the Traditionalists and the Modernists, Berlage"s theories inspired most Dutch architectural groups of the 1920s, including the Traditionalists, the Amsterdam School, De Stijl and the New Objectivists. Berlage died at The Hague in 1934.
In 1970, the International Astronomical Union named the lunar crater Berlage after him.
Among the public collections holding works by Hendrik Petrus Berlage are:
Museum de Fundatie, Zwolle, Netherlands
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag
Kröller-Müller Museum.