Per Kirkeby created the artwork Brick Hut in 1988 for the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands. It is one of his many architectural sculptures. We could just as easily have chosen another sculpture – we are fascinated by his entire repertoire – but we particularly appreciate Brick Hut because of its visual power and beautiful setting. The surrounding forest provides the perfect backdrop; the way the little building appears between the trees is uniquely beautiful. Despite – or perhaps because of – the great simplicity of the brick object, it exudes a sense of monumentality. The contrast with the natural environment evokes an almost primitive wonder at the act of building.

“Kirkeby’s work also stands up in a less idyllic setting, however. The quality of his architectural objects is scale- and context-free and deeply rooted in architectural history. The freedom with which he, as a visual artist, uses this to create architecture that serves only itself is almost enviable to us practising architects. But the confrontation is also instructive, because it allows us to (re)discover an essential quality of architecture. Per Kirkeby’s work has strengthened our ambition to always seek clear gestures, singular architecture with formal motifs that can stand on their own, regardless of scale or context.