Woodland Crematorium, Woodland Cemetery, Stockholm, Sweden, Exterior elevation, final version
Erik Gunnar Asplund
Swedish, 1885–1940
1937
An ink-and-graphite elevation on drafting cloth of Erik Gunnar Asplund’s design for the Woodland Crematorium, meant to present a calm, measured modern funeral building that sits modestly within the landscape.
What strikes the eye is the long, horizontal sweep of delicate pencil and ink lines—low, geometric pavilions punctuated by trees—rendered with an airy, translucent restraint that makes the architecture seem to emerge from the site itself.
This drawing documents a pivotal moment when Asplund translated modernist clarity and classical proportion into a serene funerary landscape, helping define Nordic modernism and influencing cemetery design internationally as part of the UNESCO‑listed Skogskyrkogården.
Medium
Ink and graphite on drafting cloth
Dimensions
19 3/8 x 62 1/2" (49.2 x 158.8 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller, Mrs. Gifford Phillips, Celeste and Armand P. Bartos, Mrs. S. I. Newhouse, Jr., and purchase
Accession
64.1990
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
