Italian media have reported that Leonardo Benevolo, one of Italy's foremost architects, critics, and historians, passed away yesterday at his home in Brescia following a long illness. Benevolo was an enormously influential figure in the field of architectural history who was continuously examining the problems and possibilities of our cities.
His writings—in particular the book History of Modern Architecture—have been widely circulated, translated and taught, and contribute to his legacy as one of the profession's most distinguished architects and educators.
In the overview of the now out-of-print History of Modern Architecture, Vol. 2 (1971), MIT Press wrote,
Perhaps more than any other architectural historian in our time, Benevolo has made a determined effort to place developments in design and planning in their proper social and political settings.
Benevolo's prolific career as an educator occurred alongside projects that he also designed and built, including the new headquarters of the Bologna Fair (realized with Thomas Jura Longo and Carlo Pomegranates), the master plan of Ascoli Piceno, the masterplan of the historic center of Bologna and the master plan of Monza (1993-97).
Italian newspaper Corriere Della Serra wrote that Benevolo joined Giulio Carlo Argan, Bruno Zevi and Manfredo Tafuri in the scholarly task of defining and historicizing modern architecture in Italy and beyond. His final publication, Il tracollo della urbanistica italiana, published by Laterza, was released in 2012.
News via Corriere Della Serra
