BATH

Being Architects, Teaching History. The Italian Contribution to a New History of Architecture: Zevi, Bruschi and Tafuri

The project ‘Being Architects, Teaching History’ (BATH) aims to investigate the Italian reality of architectural historians during the second half of the 20th century both in relation to the international network within which they acted, and in its impact on the training of younger generations. Three case studies have been chosen: Bruno Zevi, Arnaldo Bruschi, and Manfredo Tafuri. Their historical method had its foundations both in archival research and in the examination of buildings, and relied on the wide use of drawings both as tools of investigation and as means of communication. Taking on the task of making a history of historiography forces us to reflect on the methodologies and fundamental tools of the historian’s craft.
The starting point of this proposal is the ‘Progetto Tafuri’ of the IUAV University (Venice, Italy), which suggested the adoption of cross referencing methods based on traditional archival sources as well as on the more up to date tools of oral history. An important role will be attributed to interviews with their former students, collaborators and colleagues.