Gottfried Semper

Gottfried Semper was a German art historian, architect, teacher, and university teacher. Born in Hamburg in 1803, he died in Rome in 1879. He was educated at the University of Göttingen, Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums, and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. His professional career included positions as a professor and employment with Jacques Ignace Hittorff, Franz Christian Gau, the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts, and ETH Zurich. He worked in Dresden, Zurich, London, and Wesermünde.

Semper’s notable works include the Semperoper, the Old Synagogue Dresden, the Kunsthistorisches Museum, and the Natural History Museum, Vienna. His writings encompass *Architettura arte e scienza*, *Der Stil in den technischen und tektonischen Künsten, oder praktische Ästhetik*, *Die K.K. hofmuseen in Wien und Gottfried Semper*, *Kleine Schriften*, and *The ideal museum*. He was a member of the German Archaeological Institute, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno. His works are held in the collections of the Städel Museum and the Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design.