Alsop Quits for a Spot of Painting

Will Alsop has decided to step away from the day to day practice of architecture in favour of undertaking an exploration into his interest in painting.

In 2004, only four years after winning the RIBA’s Building of The Year, Alsop was forced to sell his practice to venture capitalists.

Alsop is known for his loathing for conservative planning.  Famously, in his televised acceptance speech in 2000, he let loose his vitriol against the establishment; “Fuck the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, but thank God for all those imaginative boroughs that know that the way out of their problems is architecture.”

Like many architects before him Alsop has won much critical praise but faced fiscal unease.

“There are so many hangers on and architectural advisers who know nothing and it gets in the way. For example I am doing nothing for the London 2012 Olympics and it has got to the point where I don’t feel like asking so I don’t give them the satisfaction of saying no.”

While Alsop is regarded as something is an eccentric from within architectural circles, the real Alsop project is deadly earnest.  Not unlike the tradition of The Fool in theatre, Alsop’s work has pointed to some real truths about the architectural tradition.  The fake earnestness of many architectural practitioners belies an inability to see beyond glib strategies and representative techniques.  Alsop’s wit (and downfall) has been to incorporate the eccentricity of real life into his architecture.  His work is high minded and base, funny and deadly serious, gorgeous and gross.  What a fine architect!  We do not see his ilk often.  Alsop is an architect of humour an pathos.  We can only hope for his return.

Speaking of his resignation; “I love architecture but one of the things that gets up my nose, particularly in London, is that doing anything is like pulling teeth,” he said.

See: Mike Pevsner’s Flickr photostream of The Peckham Library

Scott Norsworthy’s Flickr photostream on OCAD