Álvaro Siza Named Honorary Member of International Committee of Architectural Critics (CICA)

Siza and CICA

John Hill
27. September 2024
Wilfried Wang, Álvaro Siza, and Ana Tostões at the Serralves Foundation on May 6, 2024 (Photo ©️ NVSTUDIO; all photographs courtesy of CICA)

CICA was founded in 1978, during the 13th World Congress of the International Union of Architects (UIA) in Mexico City, by critics Bruno Zevi, Max Blumenthal, Louise Noelle, Mildred Schmertz, Blake Huges, and Jorge Glusberg. Their aim was, among other things, to elevate the role of criticism in the architectural process, especially toward encouraging architectural creativity. Although CICA has held meetings coinciding with the UIA World Congresses and given out book prizes in the ensuing decades, it is only in recent years that CICA's presence has been felt with a broader public, thanks to its annual conference taking place online (during and since the pandemic) and the publication of papers from its 2021 conference, On the Duty and Power of Architectural Criticism, by Park Books in 2022.

Subtly shining a spotlight on CICA now is the naming of Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza as a CICA Honorary Member and his presence in the forthcoming CICA 2024 International Conference. The first took place at the Serralves Foundation in Porto a few months ago, following the opening of the Álvaro Siza Wing that he designed and coinciding with the C.A.S.A. Collection exhibition there curated by architect António Choupina. Although Siza sketches much more than he writes, and is therefore far from being a traditional architecture critic, a statement from CICA indicates that the organization “recognizes his unique ability to synthesize personal autonomy with a perceptive engagement with valued precedents, his critical reflections composed into poetic essays worthy of the great Portuguese authors, and his delicate sketches that empathetically capture fleeting moments of human reality.”

“Álvaro Siza, born in 1933 in Matosinhos, Portugal, has profoundly impacted the world of architecture with his timeless creativity and constant rise in architectural quality. With a career spanning more than six decades, Siza is celebrated for his poetic and sensitive approach to architectural design. His works, including the Leça da Palmeira Pools and the Serralves Museum in Porto, are acclaimed for their harmonious integration with the natural and cultural environment.”

CICA statement

Below are photos from the tribute to Álvaro Siza that took place at the Serralves Foundation on May 6, 2024, when Siza was conferred the status of CICA Honorary Member. The event was introduced by ⁠CICA President Wilfried Wang and consisted of a conversation with Ana Tostões (AICA_PT – International Association of Art Critics, Portugal), in which Siza talked about some of his favorite projects in regard to their contexts: Are they autonomous, or do they interact with and shape their surroundings? 

This last point presages the theme of the CICA 2024 International Conference, Between Autonomy and Engagement, that will take place online over two weekends next month: October 12–13 and October 19–20. Siza's keynote will happen on the 19th, a session devoted to “Autonomy, Engagement & Housing.” Other keynotes/sessions include Denise Scott Brown on “Autonomy, Engagement & Heritage,” Nzinga Mboup on “Autonomy, Engagement & Place/Time,” and Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu on “Autonomy, Engagement & Creating Sites.” Full program details are available on the CICA website.

Antoni Gaudí's Sagrada Familia Schoolrooms in Barcelona, 1910 (Photo © NVSTUDIO)
Bruno Taut's Glass Pavilion in Cologne, 1914 (Photo ©️ NVSTUDIO)
Le Corbusier's Villa “Le Lac” in Vevey, Switzerland, 1924 (Photo © NVSTUDIO)
Adolf Loos's Villa Müller in Prague, 1930 (Photo ©️ NVSTUDIO)
Bruno Taut's Hufeisensiedlung Britz (Horseshoe Estate) in Berlin, 1933 (Photo ©️ NVSTUDIO)
Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pennsylvania, USA, 1939 (Photo © NVSTUDIO)
Le Corbusier's masterplan of Chandigarh, India, 1951 (Photo © NVSTUDIO)
Oscar Niemeyer's Casa das Canoas in Rio de Janeiro, 1953 (Photo © NVSTUDIO)
Luis Barragán's Capuchin Convent Chapel in Tlalpan, Mexico City, 1963 (Photo © NVSTUDIO)
Alejandro Aravena on stage, with Siza's Social Housing SAAL Bouca in Porto, 1977, on screen (Photo © NVSTUDIO)

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