It is with great sadness that we have learned of the death of Anthony Vidler, renowned architectural theorist and historian and a long-time friend of the AA. Vidler taught General Studies at the school during the 1970s and 80s, and returned as an External Examiner, regular contributor to the MA History and Critical Thinking (HCT) programme and PhD Supervisor in more recent years; he also lectured extensively at the AA. We extend our deepest condolences to his family.
News of Vidler’s passing was received during the recent Chronograms of Architecture symposium at the AA, and the contributors dedicated the event to Vidler’s memory. Panellist Mark Wigley said: “He was a very special spirit, and to many of us in this room he was a teacher. By continuing our conversations this afternoon we honour Tony, who, more than anyone else I know, relished being alongside people that threatened him intellectually. He wanted to be in the most difficult of academic circumstances and engage. Tony was a non-boring writer – a relatively rare category in our field – and a tremendous spirit. But more than anything else, he was a teacher. This news is heart-breaking; of broken hearts, there are many, but of Vidler there was just one.”
Fellow panellist Pier Vittorio Aureli said: “I met Vidler a few times; we were colleagues at Yale and I have incredible memories of him, as a person and as a teacher and a writer. He will be greatly missed. Among the historians I have met, Tony was one of the only ones willing to speak with architects in a constructive way, without giving up on the critical role of history. His writings on architecture and enlightenment have been an important reference for my work.”
Marina Lathouri, head of the History and Critical Thinking programme at the AA, provided the following tribute: “I am grateful for Tony’s continued and unswerving involvement in the MA HCT programme, every time he was visiting his beloved AA and friends in London. I cherish the notes from our seminars on historiography, architecture, utopia, drawings, philosophy and language, and vividly recall the endless conversations with our students. He would relate to every topic unfalteringly and bring to light different ways of thinking for each one of them. Most inspiring erudite mind, sharply witty and ever-challenging teacher, colleague and friend, Tony Vidler is deeply missed.”