Soane and Modernism: Make It New

12 Feb-18 May 2025

Overview

Sir John Soane has often been referred to as the first modernist architect due to his emphasis on light, open space, abstract forms and restrained use of ornament.

Soane and Modernism: Make It New is the first exhibition to investigate Soane as a forerunner of architectural modernism. The exhibition brings together drawings from Soane’s collection, some on display for the first time, in dialogue with works by celebrated modernists including Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Adolf Loos and Ernö Goldfinger. 

It also investigates two case studies which share affinities with Soane's work: Álvaro Siza’s Bouça Social Housing in Porto, Portugal, and Tony Fretton’s Lisson Gallery in London. All modernist drawings have been borrowed from Drawing Matter’s important and extensive holdings, selected in collaboration with the team at Drawing Matter Trust.

Writer Philippa Lewis has created two short stories inspired by drawings in the exhibition. Please click below to read stories about Richard Neutra’s Corona Avenue School in Bell, California, and John Soane’s Pitzhanger Manor in Ealing.