Editor: | Poul Henningsen |
Editor Title: | Editor |
Frequency: | Quarterly |
Category: | Architecture magazine |
Founded: | 1926 |
Firstdate: | July 1926 |
Finaldate: | 1928 |
Country: | Denmark |
Based: | Copenhagen |
Language: | Multilingual |
Kritisk Revy (Danish: Critical Review) was a quarterly architecture magazine. It was briefly published between 1926 and 1928 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The magazine played a significant role in developing avant-garde culture in Scandinavia in the period between World War I and World War II.[1] It is also the early source for the Danish modern.
Kritisk Revy was established in 1926.[1] The first issue appeared in July 1926. The founders were architects and left-wing intellectuals.[1] The headquarters was in Copenhagen. The editor of the magazine was Poul Henningsen.[2] [3] Although three issues were published in the first year, the frequency of Kritisk Revy was quarterly for the following years.
Kritisk Revy contained articles that led to various polemics.[4] These articles were not only written in Danish but also in other languages. The focus of magazine was avant-garde architecture and design.[1] [5] However, the topics were not limited to these subjects in that the magazine covered various topics related to Danish life, including nature preservation, literature and religion.[6] The magazine also embraced a wide range of modern topics, including advertising, shop window design, jazz music, variety theatre and film.[1]
The contributors adopted the notion of art for society's sake.[1] The magazine laid the basis of early Scandinavian modernism.[1] Poul Henningsen developed a new approach towards modernism in the magazine which focused on functionalism, criticism and clarity.[7] It frequently carried articles about the architecture and planning of Copenhagen and other Nordic cities.[2] Significant contributors of Kritisk Revy included Otto Gelsted, Edvard Heiberg and Hans Kirk who would be a member of the Danish Communist Party.[4]
The magazine did not share the political approach of Klingen, a former Danish magazine, but affected from its approach towards European art.[8] This effect was observed in the large format of Kritisk Revy (35.2 x 21.6 cm).[8] In addition, the magazine also included frequent illustrations and graphic formats like Klingen.[8]
The circulation of Kritisk Revy ranged between 1800 and 2000 copies.[4] The magazine ceased publication after the publication of the eleventh issue appeared in Christmas 1928 with an announcement that Kritisk Revy accomplished the goals.[4]