A conversation with Professor Pierre du Prey.
Corinthian Capital, the Pantheon, Rome, ca. 125 CE.
In the latest edition of the HTA Podcast, I chat with architectural historian Pierre du Prey about what “Classicism” in architecture means, the contribution of good architecture to our quality of life, and the importance of informed public opinion to the quality of our built environment. Throughout, Pierre displays insight, wide-ranging expertise, and passion that flows from decades of scholarship as a historian in the Classical tradition in architecture.
Here is our conversation:
Pierre du Prey is Professor Emeritus and Queen’s Research Chair at Queen’s University in Kingston, and Adjunct Research Professor in the History & Theory of Architecture program here at Carleton. He is particularly renowned for his expertise in Pliny, Andrea Palladio, Nicholas Hawksmoor, John Soane, and Classicism in Canada. His many publications include:
In addition, this volume of essays in honour of Pierre du Prey – to which I was a proud contributor – was published in 2014:
Pierre is also the author of the website Architecture in the Classical Tradition (mentioned several times in the podcast), a wide-rnging online survey of the history of Western Architecture that is available for free to all.
Peter Coffman
Supervisor, History & Theory of Architecture program, Carleton University