Alan Colquhoun

Alan Colquhoun (1921-2012) ^[1] was a British born architect, historian, critic and teacher.

Biography

Alan Colquhoun was born in Esher, England on June 27, 1921 and went to Bradfield School, and studied architecture at the Edinburgh College of Art and the Architectural Association in London. In the Second World War he was a captain in the Bengal Sappers and Miners, at Roorkee, India, where he first met future friend and architectural colleague Robert Maxwell. Colquhoun started his career as an architect at London County Council (LCC), and then in the practice of Lyons Israel Ellis.

Work

In 1961 he co-founded the architectural practice Miller and Colquhoun, remaining a partner until 1989. Highlight of their buildings are a noted refurbishment of Whitechapel Art Gallery in London, Forest Gate High School, the Chemistry Building of Royal Holloway College in Surrey, and several houses and housing schemes in London.

Colquhoun taught at the Architectural Association in London from 1957 to 1964s, and at the Polytechnic of Central London (now University of Westminster) in the mid seventies. He was appointed as a professor at Princeton University School of Architecture in 1981s, becoming Professor Emeritus in 1991.^[2] He also was a visiting professor at Cornell in 1969, and at Harvard University, Cambridge University, L'Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, and Trinity College, Dublin. He died in London Dec. 13, 2012.^[2]

A biography of him was published in 2012: Alan Colquhoun : architect, historicus, criticus = architect, historian, critic. by Tom Avermaete; Christoph Grafe; Hans Teerds.

Publications

• Essays in Architectural Criticism: Modern Architecture and Historical Change (Oppositions Books, 1985) According to WorldCat, the book is held in 531 libraries ^[3] It has been translated into French by Michèle Osborn, and also into Turkish, Italian, Spanish and Finnish.^[4][5]
• Colquhoun, Miller and Partners - Architects by Alan Colquhoun and John Miller (1988) New York:Rizzoli. According to WorldCat, the book is held in 188 libraries ^[6] It has been translated into French by as
• Modernity and the Classical Tradition: Architectural Essays, 1980-87 MIT Press, 1991. According to WorldCat, the book is held in 448 libraries ^{[7][8][9][10]}
• Modern Architecture (Oxford History of Art, 2002) According to WorldCat, the book is held in 1021 libraries ^[11] It has been translated into French by Alan Colquhoun as L'architecture moderne. and into Spanish by Jorge Sainz as La arquitectura moderna : una historia desapasionada ^[12][13]

He also published works on the architects Michael Graves and on Rafael Moneo and the sculpturer Celia Scott.

References

1. WorldCat Identities
2. "Architecture critic and 'superb educator' Alan Colquhoun dies" Princeton University News Dec.23, 2013 archive
3. WorldCat item record
4. Review by Brian Wishne, JAE (Journal of Architectural Education) 36(1), 1982.
5. Review by William Schallenberg, Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 41(3),1982.
6. WorldCat item record
7. WorldCat item record
8. Review by Juan Pablo Bonta, Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 41(3), 1983.
9. Review by James Dunnett, AA Files 19, 1990.
10. Review by Mary Wiseman, ournal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 49(3), 1991
11. WorldCat item record
12. Review in The Burlington Magazine. 146:!217 (Aug 20004)
13. Review by Daniel Sherer, in Art Journal 62(4), 2003.