Meet the Smithsons: separating the hype from reality

[Paul Clerkin]

Meet the Smithsons: separating the hype from reality. Should Alison and Peter Smithson have stuck to talking?

Ever wondered who coined that wistful yet sinister phrase "streets in the sky"? Ever wondered whatever happened to the space-age house of the future? Ever wondered why so many architects talk rather than build? Meet Alison and Peter Smithson, post-war masters of architectural hype. From the 1940s to the 1970s, the Smithsons were one of the trendiest design couples in Britain. Critics hung on their every word. Then they lost the plot, got old and died, and now they are getting an exhibition at London's Design Museum. It's not a reappraisal, and it's not the caning they deserve, but it's a start.

http://www.hughpearman.com/articles5/smithsons.html