Hendrik Wijdeveld


Hendricus Theodorus Wijdeveld was a Dutch architect and graphic designer. He was an important figure of the Amsterdam School and is known for his work as editor-in-chief for the Wendingen magazine.

Life and work

Wijdeveld started his career at the architectural firm of Jacques van Straaten and the studio of Pierre Cuypers. He then worked in France as an assistant to the architect Louis Cordonnier. He returned to Amsterdam in 1914. From 1914 to 1940, he completes his main designs:
He is also known for his futuristic projects:
From 1918 to 1932, Wijdeveld was the editor-in-chief of the magazine Wendingen, a publication for the architecture association Architectura et Amicitia. The magazine is known for its groundbreaking architectural approach to typography. It also was an important platform for several modernist movements in the Netherlands.

War period

Wijdeveld published a book titled De Nieuwe Orde in 1940, suggesting his sympathy for the German occupation. As a result, he fell out of public favor, but appears to have been rehabiliitated after the war since the Stedelijk Museum, a major national museum in Amsterdam, dedicated a major retrospective to him in 1953.

Teaching

Wijdeveld taught in America between 1947 and 1952 at the invitation of Frank Lloyd Wright. In 1949–1950, he was a visiting professor at NC State College's School of Design.

Family

Wijdeveld was married to the cellist Ellen Philippine Kohn, then to the actress Charlotte Köhler. He has one daughter, illustrator Ruscha Wijdeveld, and two sons, Wolfgang Wijdeveld and Roland Matthijs Wijdeveld.

Publications about Wijdeveld