ibstrupparken housing, first stage, gentofte, denmark 1941. architect: arne jacobsen, 1902-1971.

the many villas from his early years in architecture and the banks and city halls from his later career suggest that jacobsen was an expensive, elitist architect. I am sure he was both, but only when given the opportunity. when commisioned to do housing - which is always on a budget - he took just as much care and delivered just as distinguished results.

ibstrup park is typical of his housing projects in the way jacobsen manipulated traditional typology for modernist purposes and exceptional for being a wartime job.

denmark was occupied by germany at the time and there is a sensationalist aspect of a jewish architect working in his own name within the borders of the third reich that we probably shouldn't leave unmentioned. I have written briefly about denmark's peculiar situation during the second world war elsewhere. jacobsen's even stranger position did not last, of course, and he survived the holocaust by sailing in a row boat to neutral sweden (I have his winter coat from his exile right here - that is how small denmark is).

when after the war, jacobsen won a german award for his architecture, he said in his acceptance speech that this was only the second time he had experienced such an interest in his person from germany. a rare glimpse of a wry sense of humour from an otherwise very private artist.