Speaker: Alan Read
7 June 2022

The architecture of the National Theatre divides opinion so much that it once appeared twice in a poll of the buildings of London – in the top ten best and the top ten worst. Famously, Prince Charles once described it as a nuclear bunker. Was he right? The lecture looks at the life and work of Denys Lasdun, including other buildings he designed, but focuses on the National Theatre and pleads for an appreciation of the austere beauty of this architectural masterpiece.  

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Alan holds Master’s and First Class Honours degrees in History of Art from Birkbeck College, University of London. He is a gallery guide at Tate Britain, Tate Modern and the National Portrait Gallery and has lectured at many galleries including the Dulwich Picture Gallery, Plymouth City Art Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. He is also a London Blue Badge Guide and City of London Guide.