At the age of 93, architect and theorist Robert Venturi passed away

Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown in 2016

Influential American architect and theorist Robert Venturi passed away yesterday at his home in Philadelphia at the age of 93. Venturi's books and buildings became manifestos of architectural postmodernism in the 1960s. In the later years of his life, he suffered from Alzheimer's disease. The sad news was conveyed to the media by his son James Venturi, a filmmaker.

Venturi gained fame with his book Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture (1966), which was a fundamental critique of the International Style and defended ornament, historic forms, and humor as necessary components of modern architecture. Shortly after its publication, it became a bestseller. His paraphrase of Mies's quote is well-known: "Less is a bore" - "Less is boring". Venturi is often referred to by architectural historians as the father of postmodernism, a label he denied in 1991 when he stated that he had never been a postmodernist.

Venturi was born in Philadelphia as an only child to Robert and Vanna (née Luisi) Venturi. He received architectural education focused on historic preservation at Princeton University, whose neo-Gothic campus he loved as a student. After graduating, he worked in the offices of Eero Saarinen and Louis Kahn. He spent two years as a fellow in Rome, where he studied, among other things, Renaissance architecture. After returning in 1954, he taught at Princeton, where he met the newly widowed Denise Scott-Brown (née Lakofski), who was a creative and life partner to him until his death. They were married only in 1967. In addition to books, he gained fame for designing a house for his mother - Vanna Venturi House (1962-64), which became a manifesto of the emerging postmodernism.

Venturi's work has been both a target of unending criticism and continues to provoke controversy to this day, while also evoking endless admiration and maintaining many followers. In the 1970s and 1980s, the architectural firm of Venturi and Scott-Brown enjoyed exceptional interest from investors. Notable projects include those for Princeton University (Venturi referred to Princeton's rector William G. Bowen using the title "my Medici," following Michelangelo), the extension of the National Gallery in London, a museum in Seattle, and more.

Perhaps even more acclaimed than their first book was Learning from Las Vegas (1972). It was based on a course that the couple taught at Yale University. Their terms "decorated shed" and "duck" gained cult status. The book is regarded as a manifesto of the then-contemporary painting pop art in architecture.

The awarding of the Pritzker Prize in 1991 became controversial, as it was awarded only to Venturi. Scott Brown refused to attend the ceremony. Venturi, in his laureate speech, highlighted the role she played in his career. "Denise's creative and critical contribution was decisive," said Venturi.