Eric de Maré

Eric de Maré (1910-2002) was a British photographer, described as one of the greatest British architectural photographers. [The Times, obituary, Tuesday 5 February 2002 ]

Eric de Maré, writer and photographer, was born on the 10 September 1910 of Swedish parents, Bror and Ingrid de Maré. He was educated at St Paul’s School in London prior to becoming a student of the Architectural Association in 1928. Following graduation in 1933, he returned to Scandinavia to travel and work. A number of his later publications focus on Sweden.

On returning to England, he joined the Architectural Press and became the acting editor of the Architects Journal in 1943. A year prior to this, de Maré had published his first book entitled "Britain Rebuilt". The subsequent years saw the publication of further books and articles within the architectural press. Many of the subjects covered in these works are represented within the collection held by the National Monuments Record, the public archive of English Heritage.

Canals and waterways feature significantly in de Maré’s work. In 1948, he sailed a dozen of the English canals during a 600 mile tour, photographing the landscapes, buildings and people he encountered. This journey resulted in a 1949 article for the Architectural Review documenting canal life and buildings. The following year saw the publication of "The Canals of England". The book provided an historical and technical description of inland waterways punctuated by de Maré’s photography.

In 1956, he was commissioned to travel throughout England to photograph early industrial sites and buildings. The resulting images were combined with JM Richard’s text in "The Functional Tradition in Early Industrial Buildings" which was published by the Architectural Press in 1958. The functional tradition within architecture had received little attention from contemporary architects prior to this study, but the work coincided with and promoted an increased interest in the qualities of early industrial structures. His work in the 1960s reflected the other end of the industrial spectrum, focussing on modern power generation plants, to which his photographs frequently conferred a sculptural quality.

Eric died on 22 January 2002, aged 91 years. The Guardian [The Guardian, obituary, 4 February 2002] said to most architects and architectural historians he was the finest architectural photographer of the mid 20th century. The Telegraph [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/02/06/db0602.xml The Telegraph obituary column 6 February 2002 ] described him as one of the most notable photographers of his time, as well as a prolific author.

Books

*Eric de Maré, "Bridges of Britain" (1954)

*Eric de Maré, "London's Riverside" (1958)
*Eric de Maré, "City of Westnminster; Heart of London" (1968)

*Eric de Maré, "Photography" (1957) Penguin books

*Eric de Maré, "Photography and Architecture" (1961) Penguin books

*Eric de Maré, "Architectural Photography" (1975) Penguin books

*Eric de Maré, "Wren's London" (1975)

References

External links

* [http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/viewfinder photographs by Eric de Maré] go to advanced search/collections to view photographs by Eric de Maré held by the National Monuments Record, the public archive of English Heritage