William J.R. Curtis

William J.R. Curtis is a historian, critic, artist and photographer. He was educated at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London and Harvard University. He has taught the history of architecture, theories of design and architectural studios at many universities around the world including Harvard University (Dept of Visual and Environmental Studies and Graduate School of Design), the Architectural Association and the University of Cambridge where he was Slade Professor of Fine Art.

He is committed to visual education in a broad sense. His best known books include Modern Architecture Since 1900 and Le Corbusier: Ideas and Forms, both widely translated and referred to as ‘classics’. Among other books: Balkrishna Doshi: an Architecture for India; Denys Lasdun: Architecture, City, Landscape; Le Corbusier at Work, The Genesis of the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts. Curtis has published on a vast range of other subjects and is an engaged critic who contributes to international journals such as the Architectural Review and El Croquis. He has written several texts on Spanish and Portuguese modern architecture including the work of Alejandro de la Sota, Rafael Moneo, Fernando Tavora and Alvaro Siza.

In 2015 a retrospective of his artistic work was held in the Palace of Carlos V of the Alhambra with the title 'Abstraccion y Luz/ Abstraction and Light: Paintings, Drawings, Photographs by William J.R. Curtis' accompanied by a book with a Preface written by Alvaro Siza. In recognition of his diverse activities Curtis has received several international awards, including the 1999 Gold Medal of the Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society in Architecture and Allied Arts (USA); a 50 year Commemoration Medal from the Museum of Finnish Architecture in 2006; and the Golden Award for Global Contribution to Architecture (India) in 2014. Curtis has been awarded the 2022 Médaille of the Académie d'Architecture, France.