William Allen Alsop (12 December 1947
– 12 May 2018) was a British architect and Professor of Architecture at
University for the Creative Arts
The University for the Creative Arts is a specialist art and design university in the south of England.
It was formed in 2005 as University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester when the Kent Inst ...
's
Canterbury School of Architecture
The Canterbury School of Architecture (CSA) which was founded in 1952 is a leading architecture school in the United Kingdom and is a department of the University for the Creative Arts in England. It has been listed within the top five architec ...
.
He was responsible for several distinctive and controversial
modernist
Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...
buildings which are usually distinguished by their use of bright colours and unusual ''
avant-garde
The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...
'' forms. In 2000, Alsop won the
Stirling Prize
The Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize is a British prize for excellence in architecture. It is named after the architect James Stirling, organised and awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The S ...
, the most prestigious architecture award in the United Kingdom, for the
Peckham Library
Peckham Library is a library and community building situated in Peckham in south-east London. It was designed by Alsop and Störmer, in London.
Biography
Alsop always wanted to be an architect, even before he really knew what architects did; when he was six years old, he designed a house for his mother to live in – its most striking specification was that it had to be built in New Zealand. When he was 16 his father, an accountant, died, and being bored with school he left to work for an architect, doing his A-levels at evening classes.
![Chips - by Will Alsop - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Chips_-_by_Will_Alsop_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1552092.jpg)
He was greatly influenced by his drawing tutor,
Henry Bird while at foundation course at
Northampton Art School.
He recalled how he was taught to draw by him.
He gave me a brick, told me to draw it and promptly left the room. I proceeded to draw it with all its shadows. On his return he went into a rage and chastised me for destroying the vision with shading, shouting: 'What is wrong with a simple line?' He insisted that I redo the drawing with line only so that I could begin to see the brick and its proportions. I drew that brick for two three hour sessions per week, line only, for three months. Eventually, he admitted that I had mastered the brick and I was allowed to progress onto the tin can.[Alsop W. (28 June 2001). Drawing on the experiences of life help create better work. ]Architects' Journal
''Architects' Journal'' is an architectural magazine published in London by Metropolis International.
History
The first edition was produced in 1895. Originally named ''The Builder's Journal and Architectural Record'', from 1906 to 1910 it was kn ...
Alsop then studied at the
Architectural Association School of Architecture
The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest Independent school (United Kingdom), independent school of architecture in the UK and one of the most prestigious and competitive in t ...
where at 23 he entered the competition to design the
Centre Georges Pompidou
The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou ( en, National Georges Pompidou Centre of Art and Culture), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English, is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of ...
in Paris and came second to the eventual winners,
Richard Rogers
Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside (23 July 1933 – 18 December 2021) was a British architect noted for his modernist and Functionalism (architecture), functionalist designs in high-tech architecture. He was a senior partner a ...
&
Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano (; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect. His notable buildings include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (with Richard Rogers, 1977), The Shard in London (2012), the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City (20 ...
.
He worked briefly for
Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew, a couple who had been instrumental in introducing
modernism
Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...
to Britain in the 1930s, then joined
Cedric Price
Cedric Price FRIBA (11 September 1934 – 10 August 2003) was an English architect and influential teacher and writer on architecture.
The son of an architect (A.G. Price, who worked with Harry Weedon), Price was born in Stone, Staffordshire ...
for four years.
After a short period with Roderick Ham, in 1981 Alsop set up a practice, Alsop & Lyall, with his classmate John Lyall in
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
...
. Jan Störmer later joined the practice and a decade later, in 1991, the practice was renamed Alsop & Störmer after Lyall's departure.
Alsop's first major commission was a swimming pool for
Sheringham
Sheringham (; population 7,367) is an English seaside town within the county of Norfolk, United Kingdom.Ordnance Survey (2002). ''OS Explorer Map 252 - Norfolk Coast East''. . The motto of the town, granted in 1953 to the Sheringham Urban Distr ...
in Norfolk in 1984, followed by a visitor centre for
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay ( cy, Bae Caerdydd; historically Tiger Bay; colloquially "The Bay") is an area and freshwater lake in Cardiff, Wales. The site of a former tidal bay and estuary, it serves as the river mouth of the River Taff and Ely. The body of w ...
. Thereafter he worked on a number of projects in Germany, including the
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
Ferry Terminal. In 1992, Alsop came first, against competitor
Norman Foster
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
, in the competition to design the
Hôtel du département des Bouches-du-Rhône
The Hôtel du département des Bouches-du-Rhône, known as ''Le Grand Bleu'', is the headquarters and council chambers of the Conseil General of Bouches-du-Rhône in Marseille, France. The Sterling Prize-nominated building, noted for its distinct ...
(the
county government office of
Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and large ...
) in Marseille, France. The building, now considered a major work of late 20th century architecture and a Marseille landmark, nicknamed ''Le Grand Bleu'',
was designed by Alsop and Störmer, and developed its visual identity through the design process in collaboration with the architectural artist
Brian Clarke
Brian Clarke (born 2 July 1953) is a British painter, architectural artist and printmaker, known for his large-scale stained glass and mosaic projects, symbolist paintings, set designs, and collaborations with major figures in Modern and conte ...
,
with the completed building externally clad in
Yves Klein blue
Yves Klein Blue was an Australian indie rock band from Brisbane, which formed in 2005 and disbanded in 2010. The line-up included Chris Banham on Drum Kit, drums and percussion, Sean Cook on bass guitar, Charles Sale on lead guitar and Keyboard ...
glass, with one elevation formed of a 1,200 m
2 artwork by Clarke screenprinted in ceramic glaze onto the facade.
Alsop and Störmer divided into separate practices in 2000, with Alsop renaming the practice Alsop Architects.
Alsop admitted to never being very good at handling finances, and his practice went through several difficult periods, including the cancellation in June 2004 of plans to build a "
Fourth Grace
The Fourth Grace was a planned development to be built on the Liverpool Pier Head, as a part of the Liverpool European Capital of Culture 2008 bid.
The project name was derived from its location adjacent to the three historic buildings at the ...
" to be built on
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
's
Pier Head
The Pier Head (properly, George's Pier Head) is a riverside location in the city centre of Liverpool, England. It was part of the former Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was inscribed in 2004, but revoked in ...
waterfront. Since 2001–2002, three historical buildings at the
Pier Head
The Pier Head (properly, George's Pier Head) is a riverside location in the city centre of Liverpool, England. It was part of the former Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was inscribed in 2004, but revoked in ...
in Liverpool have been known as the "Three Graces": they are the
Royal Liver Building
The Royal Liver Building is a Grade I listed building in Liverpool, England. It is located at the Pier Head and along with the neighbouring Cunard Building and Port of Liverpool Building is one of Liverpool's '' Three Graces'', which line the ...
(1908–11) by
Walter Aubrey Thomas, the
Cunard Building
The Cunard Building is a Grade II* listed building in Liverpool, England. It is located at the Pier Head and along with the neighbouring Royal Liver Building and Port of Liverpool Building is one of Liverpool's ''Three Graces'', which line the ...
(1914–16) by Willinck & Thicknesse with Arthur J. Davis, and the
Port of Liverpool Building
The Port of Liverpool Building (formerly Mersey Docks and Harbour Board Offices, more commonly known as the Dock Office) is a Grade II* listed building in Liverpool, England. It is located at the Pier Head and, along with the neighbouring Royal ...
(1903–07) by Briggs & Wolstenholme with Hobbs & Thornely – the so-called "Cloud Building" – officially because of rising costs and unrealistic design.
In early 2006, Alsop sold his practice to a design conglomerate called the SMC Group to concentrate on architecture.
After leaving ARCHIAL (formerly Alsop Architects, then SMC Alsop), he joined
RMJM
RMJM (Robert Matthew Johnson Marshall) is one of the largest architecture and design networks in the world. Services include architecture, development management, engineering, interior design, landscape design, lead consultancy, master planning, ...
's London Headquarters as International Principal on 1 October 2009. The office's name was "Will Alsop at RMJM". Alsop's latest practice was called All Design and has practices in London and Chongqing.
Alsop's London office is located in Battersea.
Alsop was a tutor of sculpture at
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Central Saint Martins is a public tertiary art school in London, England. It is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It offers full-time courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a variety of shor ...
in London for several years, and has held many other academic posts, among others at the
Vienna University of Technology
TU Wien (TUW; german: Technische Universität Wien; still known in English as the Vienna University of Technology from 1975–2014) is one of the major universities in Vienna, Austria. The university finds high international and domestic recogn ...
,
Universities of London and
Hannover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German States of Germany, state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germa ...
, and actively promotes the artistic contribution to
built environment
The term built environment refers to human-made conditions and is often used in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, public health, sociology, and anthropology, among others. These curated spaces provide the setting for human ac ...
s.
In 2013, Alsop became Professor of Architecture at the
University for the Creative Arts
The University for the Creative Arts is a specialist art and design university in the south of England.
It was formed in 2005 as University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester when the Kent Inst ...
's Canterbury School of Architecture.
Alsop has been made an Officer of the
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(OBE), and was elected to the
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...
on 18 May 2000.
Architectural style
![The Public north](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/The_Public_north.JPG)
Alsop's architectural heroes were
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was ...
,
Sir John Soane
Sir John Soane (; né Soan; 10 September 1753 – 20 January 1837) was an English architect who specialised in the Neoclassical architecture, Neo-Classical style. The son of a bricklayer, he rose to the top of his profession, becoming professo ...
,
John Vanbrugh
Sir John Vanbrugh (; 24 January 1664 (baptised) – 26 March 1726) was an English architect, dramatist and herald, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restora ...
and
Mies van der Rohe
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe ( ; ; born Maria Ludwig Michael Mies; March 27, 1886August 17, 1969) was a German-American architect. He was commonly referred to as Mies, his surname. Along with Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Frank Lloyd ...
. His ''
avant-garde
The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...
'',
modernist
Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...
buildings are usually distinguished by their vibrant use of bright colour and unusual forms. Before Alsop begins to work on a new project, he uses painting to clear his mind, think freely and create an uncontaminated design approach.
"One of the reasons for painting is that you are not really in control of what you are doing – and that interests me a lot. Instead of having a specific starting point, which perhaps, in architectural terms, would lead through to a series of logical thoughts working towards a designed building, you can start anywhere."
For him, the act of painting together with working closely with the client and the local community are necessary ingredients in urban design and architecture.
In 2004, Alsop published a book entitled ''Supercity'' which elicited much debate. It was the subject of a
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
television documentary and an exhibition at the
Urbis
Urbis was an exhibition and museum in Manchester, England, designed by Ian Simpson (architect), Ian Simpson. The building opened in June 2002 as part of the redevelopment of Exchange Square (Manchester), Exchange Square known as the Millennium Qu ...
museum in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. This book described his vision of a "Supercity" – a futuristic
conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ca ...
– stretching along the
M62 corridor from
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
to
Hull. It included a discussion of how the increasing interconnectivity of the cities along this corridor is changing the concepts of a "city", and how they can be developed to merge the idea of the rural and urban. It also included a number of architectural ideas of possible buildings and communities in this city. Although there was some political support for his ideas, with ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' claiming that former British
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
John Prescott
John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott (born 31 May 1938) is a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and as First Secretary of State from 2001 to 2007. A member of the Labour Party, he w ...
was a supporter, the Supercity has its critics.
Alsop featured significantly in
Iain Sinclair
Iain Sinclair FRSL (born 11 June 1943) is a writer and filmmaker. Much of his work is rooted in London, recently within the influences of psychogeography. Biography Education
Sinclair was born in Cardiff in 1943. From 1956 to 1961, he was educate ...
's book ''Ghost Milk'' (2011), especially the chapter "In the belly of the architect". The book is a critique – written using the literary technique of
psychogeography
Psychogeography is the exploration of urban environments that emphasizes interpersonal connections to places and arbitrary routes. It was developed by members of the Letterist International and Situationist International, which were revolutiona ...
– of the capital used to drive through vanity planning projects such as the
London Olympics, and Alsop's unbuilt planning projects in the north of England, such as Supercity, are seen as typical of these, where the architect fantasizes about how architectural design solves social and economic problems.
Alsop's architectural talents may be the subject of controversy built up an international reputation and a degree of celebrity and professional recognition, described by the ''Observer'' as "number three in the hierarchy of
British architects
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
after Lords
Rogers Rogers may refer to:
Places
Canada
*Rogers Pass (British Columbia)
* Rogers Island (Nunavut)
United States
* Rogers, Arkansas, a city
* Rogers, alternate name of Muroc, California, a former settlement
* Rogers, Indiana, an unincorporated communit ...
and
Foster".
Notwithstanding this, like fellow avantgardist Dame
Zaha Hadid
Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid ( ar, زها حديد ''Zahā Ḥadīd''; 31 October 1950 – 31 March 2016) was an Iraqi-British architect, artist and designer, recognised as a major figure in architecture of the late 20th and early 21st centu ...
, he actualised relatively few buildings from his designs. Alsop estimated that only about 10% of his designs have been built, something he stated did not worry him because of the enjoyment he derived in designing buildings even without a particular commission or competition in mind. In a 2007 interview, Alsop stated "It's like tennis – you have to keep doing it all the time, whether you have a client or not. I believe that absolutely. You can speculate in your sketchbook – you're allowed to think about anything, with or without a client."
In April 2007, ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'' commented that Alsop's approach to architecture could broadly be defined by his statement: "I like people. I hope it shows."
Major architectural projects
Academic appointments and honorary positions
Alsop was an ongoing professor of architecture at the
Vienna University of Technology
TU Wien (TUW; german: Technische Universität Wien; still known in English as the Vienna University of Technology from 1975–2014) is one of the major universities in Vienna, Austria. The university finds high international and domestic recogn ...
and received many honorary doctorates such as the honorary
Doctorate of Civil Law
Doctor of Civil Law (DCL; la, Legis Civilis Doctor or Juris Civilis Doctor) is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws (LLD) degrees.
At Oxford, the degree is a higher ...
(DCL) by the
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...
and honorary doctorates at
Ryerson University
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...
and
OCAD University
Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD, is a public art university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus is spread throughout several buildings and facilities within do ...
.
* 1997-Ongoing Professor, Technical University of Vienna
* 1997 Professor, The London Institute
* 1990 Visiting Professor, University of Hanover
* 1988 Unit Master, Architectural Association
* 1986 Visiting Professor, Bremen Academy of Art & Music
* 1984 Visiting Professor, Royal Melbourne Institute Design
* 1984 Visiting Professor, New South Wales Institute of Technology
* 1982 The Davis Professor, Tulane University, New Orleans
* 1977 Visiting Professor, San Francisco Institute of Art
* 1977 Visiting Professor, Ball State University, Indiana
* 1973 Tutor in Sculpture, St Martin's School of Art
Exhibitions
Alsop was known to be constantly drawing and painting either for his architectural work or for his own sake.
His paintings and sketches have been exhibited alongside his architectural projects in dedicated exhibitions at
Sir John Soane's Museum
Sir John Soane's Museum is a house museum, located next to Lincoln's Inn Fields in Holborn, London, which was formerly the home of neo-classical architect, John Soane. It holds many drawings and architectural models of Soane's projects, and ...
, Milton Keynes Gallery,
Cube Gallery
The CUBE (Centre for the Urban Built Environment) Gallery on Portland Street, in Manchester city centre, England, was a gallery for architecture and the built environment. It hosted regular exhibitions featuring mostly photography and architectur ...
in Manchester, and the British Pavilion at the
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...
, among other venues.
Alsop was a patron of the charit
The Nightingale Project which uses the arts to enhance the environment in hospitals, and has exhibited his paintings in a London hospital under the auspices of this charity. Alsop also conducted a series of workshops with psychiatric patients at London's St Charles, Chelsea and Westminster hospitals, creating large communal artworks.
He has been chair of the board of Trustees of
The Architecture Foundation Founded in 1991, The Architecture Foundation is Britain's oldest independent architecture centre. It examines contemporary issues in architectural theory and practice, through a public programme that has involved exhibitions, competitions publicatio ...
.
Major Exhibitions:
* 2011 – Proper Behaviour in the Park, Royal Academy of Arts, London
* 2007 – Towards..., Chelsea Space, London
* 2007 – Future City, The Barbican, London
* 2007 – Cultural Fog, Olga Korper Gallery, Toronto
* 2007 – Bathing Beauties, The Hub:National Centre for Craft & Design, Lincolnshire
* 2007 – Creative Prisons, Touring exhibition
* 2005 – Supercities, Urbis, Manchester
* 2005 – Groundswell; MoMA, New York City
* 2004 – Middlehaven Masterplan, Venice Biennale
* 2002 – Malagarba Works, Will Alsop & Bruce McLean: Milton Keynes Gallery
* 2002 – All Barnsley Might Dream, Venice Biennale
* 2002 – Beauty, Joy & the Real, Sir John Soane Museum, London
* 2001 – Not Architecture, Aedes East Gallery, Berlin
* 2000 – Venice Biennale, British Pavilion
* 2000 – National Institute of Architecture (NAI), Rotterdam
* 1998 – Alsop Paintings & Architecture, Architekturgalerie, Stuttgart
* 1997 – River of Dreams, Mayor Gallery, London
* 1995 – Exhibition of Paintings, The Mayor Gallery, London
* 1992 – Selected Projects Exhibition, Aedes Gallery, Berlin
* 1992 – Arc en Rêve, Hôtel du Département, Marseilles, Bordeaux
* 1987 – Bridge/Beam/Floor/Roof, The Architecture Centre, Bremen
* 1985 – Paris Biennale Exhibition
* 1974 – Group Exhibition: Fruit Market, Edinburgh
Personal life
Alsop and his wife lived between an
Edwardian
The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...
mansion flat in London and a converted stable block in Norfolk. They have three adult children.
He had a twin sister
who still lives in
Northampton
Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...
.
Alsop would try to relax as much as possible on weekends and also took a month off in the summer to go painting in
Menorca
Menorca or Minorca (from la, Insula Minor, , smaller island, later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Its capi ...
with his friend
Bruce McLean. Alsop enjoyed smoking and drinking. He was, according to an April 2007 article in ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'', "obviously not a man familiar with gyms".
Alsop died in London after a short illness on 12 May 2018 at the age of 70.
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
Further reading
Articles
*
*
Bissell, Gerhard"Alsop, Will" in: ''
Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon
Thieme-Becker is a German biographical dictionary of artists.
Thieme-Becker
The dictionary was begun under the editorship of Ulrich Thieme (1865–1922) (volumes one to fifteen) and Felix Becker (1864–1928) (volumes one to four). It was complet ...
(Artists of the World)'', Suppl. I,
Saur
Saur may refer to:
* Saur (company) a French utility company
* Saur (restaurant), Michelin starred restaurant in The Hague, Netherlands
* Dog king - a Scandinavian tradition
* Saur 1 - an APC developed by ROMARM
* K. G. Saur Verlag, German publ ...
,
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
2005, p. 252 (in German).
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Books
*
*
*
*
External links
Official website of Will Alsop*
Will Alsop at the British Council website*
ttp://www.royalacademy.org.uk/academicians/architects/will-alsop-ra,130,AR.html Will Alsop at the Royal Academy of Arts websitebr>
Radio interview of William Alsop on 4 April 2005 at the A Palaver website (available as stream)Interview with Will Alsop (video)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alsop, Will
1947 births
2018 deaths
Architects from Northamptonshire
Stirling Prize laureates
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Royal Academicians
People from Northampton
Alumni of the University of Northampton
Alumni of the Architectural Association School of Architecture