Prologue by Jan Utzon


"The Guide to Utzon gives you a unique and interactive insight into the wonderful world of my father, the architect Jørn Utzon.

The Guide to Utzon gives you access to more than 2200 beautiful photos and 280 drawings of all of Utzon's works and projects from around the world.

View a complete list of all Utzon's 56 works, as well as 65 of his most important works that were not completed, including several unseen works. The Guide to Utzon also contains 51 sources of inspiration regarding places and persons.

You will be able to explore his life, his sources of inspiration, his projects, his travels and read his own words about his philosophy on life and architecture.

An interactive world map will also give you access to the many facets of this beautifully designed guide.

The Guide to Utzon is a must for all architects and students of architecture who wish to gain a closer look into the ideas and works of an architect who created some of the most beautiful and innovative buildings in the 20th century.

Explore and enjoy this beautiful and comprehensive guide, created by photographer Flemming Bo Andersen."

Jan Utzon

"I think back on my life with my father with great joy and love. To be allowed to spend so much time together with such a remarkable man, father and architect has been a great privilege.

He was the most positive person I have ever met. He never talked about things or people he did not like; always only positively about what interested him. He hated gossip and slander. He often spoke with great enthusiasm about the heroes in his profession, about the many wonderful people in music and arts that he loved, about people with noble characters, whatever their status in our society. He was the ever-inquisitive person. Nothing escaped his keen eye. He observed the world around him with extraordinary clearness.

From a multitude of sources of inspiration, be it the pyramids of Mexico, the temple compounds of China, the halftimbered farms of Denmark, the branch of a tree, the leaf on the stem of a flower, a stone from the beach, the pattern in the snow, the slant of the sunlight, from music, sculpture, painting and the humanistic thought of great philosophers, he created a world of his own, a legacy of great and modest buildings that are ours to enjoy, far beyond his lifetime.

At home he was forever the playful and inspiring father and husband. Time was never boring in his company. He always had something to tell. Something he had seen on his way through the forest, somebody he had met, an idea he was developing, forever drawing the rest of the family into his wonderful world of ideas and ideals.

My father's energy, zest for life and compassion for his fellow man enriched the lives of everyone he was in touch with. The underlying humane spirit in the buildings he created has contributed very positively to the lives of all those who are the fortunate users of these buildings, and will do so in many years to come. Through his work, his ideas and ideals and his love for his family and his fellow man, he will live on in our minds and our hearts."

Jan Utzon

 

The drawing and the three photos show Jan and his father, Jørn Utzon.