Architect Magnus Poulsson: The Plight of Norwegian Modernism

Magnus Poulsson is widely regarded as one of the most important Norwegian architects in the first half of the 20th century, however, the breadth of his oeuvre and his architecture ideas remain largely undefined. Through an examination of Poulsson’s architecture and the Norwegian discourse, this project seeks to reassess both the architectural significance of Poulsson’s work and the historiographical construction of Norwegian modernism. Poulsson becomes an increasingly interesting historical figure in this exercise, to stake out the changing temperaments and ideas within architectural practice.

This research on Poulsson studies how distinct strains of modernism have shaped Norwegian architecture and its broader culture. The success of this investigation lays in a nuanced understanding of the complexion of architectural modernism in Norway integrated into the international architectural discourse. This investigation into the local terms of modernism sheds light on - and at times challenges - the standard reception of modern Norwegian architecture, the prevailing understanding of modernism’s relationship to the past, and historicism.