1942-2022

Pedro de Navascués, essential figure in the historiography of architecture in Spain, died of a stroke on the night of 5 December. Graduated in Philosophy and Literature from the University of Madrid in 1965, Navascués soon became interested in architecture, and under the guidance of his master Fernando Chueca he completed his doctoral thesis, published shortly after under the title Arquitectura y arquitectos madrileños del siglo XIX, still a reference title. This book marked the tone of a career based both on the systematic exploration of Spanish architecture and on the defense of architectural heritage, in particular of the, much disliked unitl then, architecture of the 18th century. This devotion to research and dissemination – distinguished with his election as member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in 1998 – was complemented by his dedication to teaching, not only from the posts he occupied first at Complutense University and later at the Polytechnic University of Madrid – Chair Professor of Art History –, but also, and perhaps most importantly, as master of several generations of architecture scholars and heritage advocates.