kolumba museum, köln, germany 1997-2007.
architect: peter zumthor, b.1943
chapel of st. kolumba "madonna in den trümmern", 1947-1949
architect: gottfried böhm, b.1920
the entrance to gottfried böhm's chapel as seen from the main space of zumthor's kolumba museum in which it is now entirely embedded.
the sculpture is böhm's own and if his early work lacks the
dark wagnerian grandeur of what was to come - a relief to some, no doubt - it is exactly the fierce bear protecting the virgin mary which shows us the heightened emotion, he would later seek to express in his religious buildings.
significantly, it also shows us two very different modernists (and two recipients of the pritzker prize) at work: böhm the benign populist whose architecture is expressive and accessible, zumthor by contrast cerebral and elitist but with the refined culture to know exactly when to be still and let his buildings form a backdrop and nothing more - notice how zumthor's pale grey Danish brickwork from
petersen tegl seems to enhance the contour of böhm's sculpture.
this photo was uploaded with a CC license and may be used free of charge and in any way you see fit.
if possible, please name photographer "SEIER+SEIER".
if not, don't.
more
zumthor.
