Leon Stynen

Leon Stynen. A Life of Architecture 1899-1990 provides a look inside the impressive oeuvre of Stynen.

The origins for this publication lie in the exceptionally rich archive of Stynen and his partner Paul De Meyer, which was donated to the Province of Antwerp in 1988. Today, 30 years later, it is considered one of the most important in the collection of the Flanders Architecture Institute.

The oeuvre is introduced by a comprehensive biography, photographed in its current condition by Filip Dujardin and read from multiple perspectives in 9 essays.

Few Belgian architects have left behind such a striking and diverse oeuvre as Leon Stynen (1899-1990). For more than 50 years, Stynen was active as an architect, urbanist and designer. He worked all over the country, but with a great love for his native city of Antwerp. In addition to the realisation of this important architectural oeuvre, he also played a major role in the development of architecture education and architectural culture in Belgium. Every publication on Belgian architectural history asserts Stynen as one of the iconic architects of his generation.

With the exhibition Brutalism on a Human Scale. Post-war Architecture by Leon Stynen (1899-1990) in the iconic Silver Building, the Flanders Architecture Institute presents an insight into the post-war oeuvre of the Belgian architect Leon Stynen. His brutalist designs, in which the human scale plays a crucial role, take centre stage.