Architecture and thought

The exhibition at Château La Coste, in Provence, is a journey into the mind of the visionary architect Richard Rogers even before his architecture. A tribute by Ab Rogers, son of the designer. From 22 October 2023 to 7 January 2024

Galerie Richard Rogers at Château La Coste, France - Photo © James Reeve, courtesy of Château La Coste, France
Galerie Richard Rogers at Château La Coste, France - Photo © James Reeve, courtesy of Château La Coste, France

Richard Rogers (1933-1921) was one of the great pioneers of 20th-century architecture, and of the architecture of the next century as well. Centre Pompidou in Paris, designed in tandem with Renzo Piano, is the most obvious example. But the list of his works is a long one. The Lloyd’s headquarters and the Millennium Dome in London, the European Court of Human Rights building in Strasbourg. He also won many honors, including the Pritzker Architecture Prize (2007) and the Leone d’Oro for the Career at the Venice Biennale (2006).

Richard Rogers (1933-2021) left an indelible mark on the contemporary image of our cities, thanks to a design language that explores the potential of various architectural forms, and of the relationship they can establish with people in a context of interaction. His complex, multifaceted thinking is examined in the exhibition Richard Rogers at the Drawing Gallery, at Château La Coste (Provence, France), from 22 October 2023 to 7 January 2024. From an idea by Ab Rogers, son of the architect and an architect in his own right, the show puts the spotlight on the motivations, ambitions and ideologies that fed the creative practice of Richard Rogers across a span of 50 years. A unique opportunity to delve into the psychological impact on users of the spaces designed by Rogers, to explore his architectural legacy and the lasting effect of his ideas.

The exhibition has been set up inside the gallery created by Rogers himself in 2020 (his last project), an overhanging volume facing the landscape. The interior of the gallery has been painted in very strong, vital colors for the occasion. The narration reveals the most radical ideas that emerged during the course of his career, through 10 crucial projects, seven of which were completed, while the other three were never built: they include the Zip-Up House (1967-69) and Centre Pompidou (1977), Industrialized Housing (1992), the Millennium Dome (1999), and the Tree House (2016). A path that concludes with the Richard Rogers Drawing Gallery.

The projects underscore concepts of non-traditional architecture, accompanied by the voice of the architect, as the protagonist of an introductory film. Ab Rogers explains: “This is the portrait of a man who never stopped being curious, and wanted to never stop learning. His buildings were the physical manifestation of his convictions, guided by social, environmental, ethical and political passions.”

Photo © James Reeve, courtesy of Château La Coste, France