Theo Crosby, 1925-1994

Theo Crosby (1925-1994) was an architect, sculptor, writer and designer, who worked collaboratively across many disciplines and a broad range of interests. He is particularly known for his involvement in the design partnership Pentagram and as the architect of Shakespeare"s Globe theatre in London, a reconstruction of the theatre where plays were first shown.

Born in South Africa, Crosby studied architecture at Witwatersrand University, Johannesburg, before moving to Britain in 1948. From 1949, he assisted architects Maxwell Fry, Jane Drew and Denys Lasdun, while studying sculpture at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in the evenings. There he became friends with teachers Richard Hamilton, Eduardo Paolozzi and Edward Wright, bringing him into the Independent Group of artists, designers and writers. It was Crosby who suggested the influential exhibition "This is Tomorrow", which the group organized at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in 1956, and which involved Alison and Peter Smithson, Nigel Henderson, Sir Colin Wilson, Paolozzi and others.

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