Ernst Gisel (*1922)

Uninterrupted by the destructive forces and ideologies of WWII, modern architecture in Switzerland thrived continuously since the 1920s. A central figure of the Swiss architectural landscape after 1945 was and still is Ernst Gisel. Originally trained as an architectural draftsman, he studied architecture from 1940 until 1942 and in 1944 joined the atelier of Alfred Roth, the epitome of a modernist architect. In 1945 Gisel went on to establish his own architectural practice and from then on took a prominent stance in architectural discussions in Switzerland and beyond. His highly individual buildings have always been an expression of Gisel's current mindset and divest from an immediate attribution due to their stylistic variety. Especially his early houses and churches from the 1950s and 1960, which are reminiscent of brutalist architecture, immediately appealed to me and almost forced me to buy the book depicted below. It is the second edition of Werner Oechslin's monograph on Gisel, comprising more than 450 pages and 1000 images, which provide a very vivid account of the extensive work of the architect. To me the book definitely is a treasure and will surely remain in my collection for the coming decades.