ABSTRACT

Gottfried Semper was born into a modest family in Hamburg and raised in Dresden, where in 1823 he registered to study mathematics at the University of Göttingen. After a short period he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, where he took some architectural courses. In 1826, he moved to Paris to complete his studies under the direction of the German architect Franz Christian Gau (a former student of Durand), where he familiarized himself with the theoretical discussions at the city’s two most influential schools: the École de Beaux-Arts and the École Polytechnique. Thanks to Gau’s recommendation, in 1834 Semper returned to Dresden, where he was appointed director of the Bauakademie (Academy of Fine Arts). During his tenure at the Academy, he restructured the pedagogical program of the school of architecture, recommending the studio format and the integration of practical and theoretical courses. Due to his participation in the 1849 failed revolt against the monarchy, he was forced into exile. Initially he moved to Paris, though after a few months he settled in London, where he was eventually offered a position in the Department of Practical Art, an institution formed by his friend Henry Cole in 1852.3 After five years in London, Semper moved to Zurich to assume the direction of the newly formed Politechnikum (currently the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, commonly referred to as ETH Zurich).