Date of Birth: May 23, 1910; † 15th August 1999
Place: Southampton, UK.
Profession: Architect/Painter/Writer/Broadcaster
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Sir Hugh Casson was a primary figure in British art and culture throughout the last century. He studied architecture at both Cambridge and London Universities and although architecture provided both foundation and focus for his works during his lifetime, his reach extended far beyond this single discipline
Casson first great foray into the public consciousness came when he was appointed Director of Architecture for the Festival of Britain. Still a young man at only 38 years of age at the time, his dedication to the cause and well-timed diplomacy and understanding of his contemporaries contributed greatly to the 1951 Festival's massive success with public and critics alike. He was to receive a knighthood shortly thereafter as acknowledgement of his remarkable efforts.
As his architectural work progressed post-Festival, the architectural practice of which he was senior partner, Casson Conder was a hive of activity, going on to create many highly regarded buildings, principal among them being the Cambridge University Arts Faculty buildings and the acclaimed Elephant House at the refurbished London Zoo.
His career travelled other paths parallel to and occassionally touching on his architecural practice, an acclaimed writer, broadcaster and speaker, he became an active propagandist for good and intelligent architecture, his wit and charm enlivening several television series on architectural subjects. Spike Milligan once famously claimed that when a particularly contentious art-deco Modernist building at Bexhill-on-Sea, the De La Warr Pavillion was bombed by mistake during World War II, Hugh Casson had been the pilot and John Betjeman the bomb-aimer. Casson was said to be fond of this particular story. Another discipline Hugh Casson became involved in was theatre design, an area which has had many past and present cross-over precedents among artists (but few architects!), His long-standing and fruitful work with the Glyndebourne Festival Opera received wide recognition and praise in many quarters. Educationally he both created and ran the school of Interior Design at the Royal College of Art.
In 1976 Hugh casson was elected as President of the Royal Academy of Arts, remaining in post for eight very successful and progressive years. During his tenure he founded the American Associates of the Royal Academy Trust,.and brought about the creation of the Friends of the Royal Academy, an organisation vital today the in the life of the Royal Academy and a system copied both nationally and worldwide.
His watercolours added yet another layer to this rennaissance man's ouvre, and brought him even wider public acclaim than even his architectural and eductaional works. They illustrate his popular books on Cambridge, Oxford etc so eloquently, creating a characterful and atmospheric visual evcation of these places. Powered by an architects eye for detail, his closely observed images create a finely honed yet almost impressionistic picture of a place, a building, even once could say, an era. So insightful and affectionately created, these paintings and prints remain popular and highly prized to this day.
Sir Hugh died aged 89 in the summer of 1999. His wife of sixty years, the architect, designer and photographer, Margaret Macdonald died aged 86, having survived Sir Hugh by only three months.
"He was not an outstandingly
good architect, but he was a figure in the architecture world whom no
one
could have replaced, and there were moments when his particular combination of talents - which at other
times pulled against each other - added up to exactly what was needed. One such occassion was the
Festival of Britain in 1951, when he served as director of architecture. Its success, and especially the
success of the South Bank exhibition was largely due to Casson's ability to persuade a team of assorted
architects to work harmoniously together, and to his imagination, dedication and diplomacy. To these he
added - well in advance of his time - his flair as an urban landscapist: a manipulator of spaces, structures,
vegetation, vistas and enclosures to create a modern urban equivalent of the English tradition of picturesque
landscape. He deservedly received a knighthood for his work. Townscaping, to which the Festival of Britain
was a pioneering contribution and which has since become a recognised part of the architect's vocabulary,
was more Casson's natural medium than building. ".
The Times, Obituaries, August 17 1999
could have replaced, and there were moments when his particular combination of talents - which at other
times pulled against each other - added up to exactly what was needed. One such occassion was the
Festival of Britain in 1951, when he served as director of architecture. Its success, and especially the
success of the South Bank exhibition was largely due to Casson's ability to persuade a team of assorted
architects to work harmoniously together, and to his imagination, dedication and diplomacy. To these he
added - well in advance of his time - his flair as an urban landscapist: a manipulator of spaces, structures,
vegetation, vistas and enclosures to create a modern urban equivalent of the English tradition of picturesque
landscape. He deservedly received a knighthood for his work. Townscaping, to which the Festival of Britain
was a pioneering contribution and which has since become a recognised part of the architect's vocabulary,
was more Casson's natural medium than building. ".
The Times, Obituaries, August 17 1999
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