Collected Essays in Architectural Criticism is an indispensable
anthology of writing by one of the most important voices in
architectural theory of the last 50 years. Born in 1921, Colquhoun
graduated from the Architectural Association in 1949. Currently
Professor Emeritus of Architecture at Princeton University, he has
taught at the AA, Cornell University and University College Dublin,
among many other schools of architecture. He is the author of several
books including the seminal Essays in Architectural Criticism, 1981,
Modernity and the Classical Tradition, 1991, (both republished here in
their entirety) and The Oxford History of Modern Architecture, 2002.
This book includes essays from throughout Colquhoun's distinguished
career. In his early writing Colquhoun subjects modern architecture to a
far more thorough reading than was then customary. His meticulous
evaluation of Modernism raised the standard of architectural
historiography and has influenced new directions in theory and practice
ever since. Collected Essays in Architectural Criticism encompasses the
clarity of style and rigorous, erudite analysis that Colquhoun has
brought to bear on a diverse range of subjects, including Le Corbusier,
Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, the Pompidou Centre,
Postmodernism and the design of museums.
