Knud Arne Petersen
Encyclopedia
Knud Arne Petersen was a Danish
architect and director of Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen
from 1899 to 1940. Apart from his engagement with Tivoli Gardens, where he created several prominent buildings, including the Chinese Tower and the Nimb complex
, he was most active as an exhibition architect
, representing Denmark at several World Fair
s.
, the son of draughtsman, art archaeologist and later professor Julius Magnus Petersen. He attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1878 to 1885 and then worked as an assistant for the architects Vilhelm Petersen, his uncle, and Martin Nyrop
.
in Chicago
in 1893 and the Exposition Universelle
in Paris
in 1900. He was also active in the design of the Danish contributions and brought home several medals.
(1909), both with inspiration from Moorish architecture
.
.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
architect and director of Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
from 1899 to 1940. Apart from his engagement with Tivoli Gardens, where he created several prominent buildings, including the Chinese Tower and the Nimb complex
Nimb Hotel
Nimb Hotel, or simply the Nimb, is a five-star boutique hotel in the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark. The hotel is located in a historic building from 1909, built in a Moorish-inspired Historicist style...
, he was most active as an exhibition architect
Exhibition designer
An Exhibition Designer is a professional who creates fixtures and display stands for events such as large public exhibitions, conferences, trade shows and temporary displays for business, museums, libraries and galleries.-Duties:...
, representing Denmark at several World Fair
World fair
World Fair can refer to:* Expo , a large public exhibition* This World Fair, an American rock band...
s.
Early life and career
Knud Arne Petersen was born on 5 August 1862 in CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, the son of draughtsman, art archaeologist and later professor Julius Magnus Petersen. He attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1878 to 1885 and then worked as an assistant for the architects Vilhelm Petersen, his uncle, and Martin Nyrop
Martin Nyrop
Martin Nyrop was a Danish architect who designed the Copenhagen City Hall, the Vallekilde Højskole, and the majority of the buildings for the Nordic Industrial, Agricultural and Art Exhibition.-Selected buildings:...
.
Exhibition architecture
Petersen's significantly contributed to the Nordic Exhibition of 1888 where he first held an administrative position as Industriforeningen manager, but later as its resident architect until 1927. In this capacity he represented Denmark on the exhibition committees for a number of large exhibitions, including the World's Columbian ExpositionWorld's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1893 and the Exposition Universelle
Exposition Universelle (1900)
The Exposition Universelle of 1900 was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from April 15 to November 12, 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate development into the next...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1900. He was also active in the design of the Danish contributions and brought home several medals.
Tivoli Gardens
In his work with the large exhibitions of the time, Petersen frequently collaborated with Tivoli Gardens and in 1899 was appointed as the amusement park's new artistic director, a position he held until 1940. He continued its tradition for festive, exotic architecture and introduced its distinctive illumination scheme. His first project was the Chinese Tower which was built to his design in 1900. He also designed the new Tivoli Concert Hall (1902) and the Nimb complexNimb Hotel
Nimb Hotel, or simply the Nimb, is a five-star boutique hotel in the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark. The hotel is located in a historic building from 1909, built in a Moorish-inspired Historicist style...
(1909), both with inspiration from Moorish architecture
Moorish architecture
Moorish architecture is the western term used to describe the articulated Berber-Islamic architecture of North Africa and Al-Andalus.-Characteristic elements:...
.
Other pursuits
Petersen's other architectural works remained relatively few and of limited artistic merit. The more notable are Ny Christiansborg, a large residential building in a prominent location on Copenhagen's waterfront, and Klampenborg Racecourse in KlampenborgKlampenborg
Klampenborg is a northern suburb to Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located in Gentofte Municipality, directly on Øresund, between Taarbæk and Skovshoved. Like other neighbourhoods along the Øresund coast, Klampenborg is an affluent area with many large houses....
.