Antwerp is celebrating the work of Léon Stynen, one of Belgium's greatest 20th-century architects, in a series of exhibitions and events. Here's a look at five of his most important buildings.
Although not well known outside of Belgium, Léon Stynen played a key role in creating an architectural identity for his hometown of Antwerp, beyond the borders of the city's old town and its 19th-century suburbs. He also built a number of significant modernist buildings across Flanders.
Born in 1899, he counted architects like Le Corbusier among his influences, and later among his friends. By the time he died in 1990, he had contributed a series of major residential and cultural additions to Antwerp, including the arts complex DeSingel, now home to the Flanders Architecture Institute (VAI). "Few Belgian architects have left a more striking and varied work," said Sofie De Caigny, director of VAI.
"He owed his fame not only to the scale and quality of his work, but also to the role he played within architectural education and the professional organisation of architects' associations," she told Dezeen.
The Flanders Architecture Institute (VAI) is hosting an exhibition of Stynen's drawings in Antwerp, in the DeSingel complex he designed
Stynen became one of the first architects to donate his archive to the province of Antwerp 30 years ago. The archive collection ? now encompassing the work of over 160 architects ? is managed by VAI.
The institute is currently hos...