Sir Hugh Maxwell Casson (23 May 1910 – 15 August 1999) was a British architect, interior designer, artist, writer, and broadcaster. He is best known as the director of architecture for the 1951 Festival of Britain and as President of the Royal Academy of Arts from 1976 to 1984.
Early Life and Education
Casson was born in Hampstead, London, on 23 May 1910. He spent his early childhood in Burma, where his father served in the Indian Civil Service, before being sent back to England for his education. He was the nephew of actor Lewis Casson and actress Sybil Thorndike. He attended Eastbourne College in East Sussex, then studied architecture at St John's College, Cambridge (1929–1931), followed by the Bartlett School of Architecture in London and the British School at Athens.
Career
Before the Second World War, Casson divided his time between teaching at the Cambridge School of Architecture and working in the London office of his former tutor, Christopher (Kit) Nicholson. During the war, he served in the Camouflage Service of the Air Ministry.
In 1948, at age 38, Casson was appointed director of architecture for the Festival of Britain, held on London's South Bank in 1951. He oversaw approximately 40 architects and designers, commissioning young modernist architects to create buildings that celebrated peace and modernity. The Royal Festival Hall, led by Leslie Martin, was the most prominent result. Casson was knighted in the 1952 New Year Honours for his work on the Festival.
After the war, Casson formed the architectural practice Casson Conder Partnership with Neville Conder. The firm's projects included the Elephant and Rhinoceros House at London Zoo (1964), the Sidgwick Site arts faculty buildings for the University of Cambridge (1952–1970), buildings at Worcester College, Oxford (1963), the Ismaili Centre in South Kensington, London (1984), and the Royal College of Art building in Kensington Gore (1962).
From 1953 to 1975, Casson was Professor of Interior Design (later Environmental Design) at the Royal College of Art, where his wife Margaret served as senior tutor. He later served as Provost of the Royal College of Art from 1980 to 1986.
Royal Commissions
Casson developed close relationships with the British royal family. He designed the interiors for the royal yacht Britannia (1953), created street decorations for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (1953), and designed interiors for suites at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and Balmoral. He is reported to have taught watercolour painting to Prince Charles, and he illustrated Prince Charles's children's book The Old Man of Lochnagar (1980).
Royal Academy Presidency
Casson was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1962 and a full Royal Academician in 1970. He served as President of the Royal Academy from 1976 to 1984. During his presidency, he established the Friends of the Royal Academy (1977), expanded the exhibitions programme with major blockbuster shows, and placed the institution on a more secure financial footing through corporate sponsorship and fundraising.
Artistic Work
Casson was a prolific watercolourist and illustrator. He published and illustrated several books, including Hugh Casson's London (1983), Hugh Casson's Oxford (1988), and Hugh Casson's Cambridge (1992). He also illustrated Sir John Betjeman's verse autobiography Summoned by Bells (1989 edition). In the 1980s, he presented his own television series, Personal Pleasures with Sir Hugh Casson.
Honours
Casson was knighted in 1952, appointed Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in 1978, and made a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in 1985. He was awarded the Royal Society of Arts Albert Medal in 1984.
Personal Life
In 1938, Casson married Margaret Macdonald Troup (1913–1995), an architect and designer whom he met while both were students. They had three daughters. Casson died in Chelsea, London, on 15 August 1999 at age 89.
Legacy
The Royal Academy awards an annual Hugh Casson Drawing Prize. From 1982 to 2017, Private Eye magazine gave the satirical Sir Hugh Casson Award for the "Worst New Building of the Year." An archive of Casson's papers is held by the Victoria and Albert Museum's Archive of Art and Design.
