Monica Pidgeon 1960-1970: a magazine editor and her camera

Highlights from the RIBA Robert Elwall Photographs Collection

3 March - 27 May 2023

This exhibition will showcase the photographic work of Monica Pidgeon, revered editor of Architectural Design between 1946 and 1975.  

First Floor Gallery, 66 Portland Place, London W1B 1AD

Free exhibition

Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm (Tuesday, 10am to 8pm)

Born Monica Lehmann in Chile to a French father and Scottish mother, Pidgeon studied architecture and interior design at the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London. Her cosmopolitan background and her involvement with international bodies such as CIAM and the Union Internationale des Architectes (UIA), enabled her to forge the relationships that led to her appointment as joint editor of Architectural Design, together with another woman, Barbara Randall – a highly unusual arrangement at the time.

A very talented photographer, Pidgeon used the camera extensively from the 1960s onwards, capturing both people and architecture. Her photo-journalistic approach produced memorable images that convey very strongly a sense of time and place, and have an almost cinematic feel. Monica Pidgeon’s archive is one of the little-known gems of the RIBA Photographs Collection.

Please note that the display may on occasion be inaccessible due to private events. We encourage you to call us on 020 7580 5533 before planning your visit.

Contact exhibitions@riba.org for more information about this exhibition or to plan your visit.

Lead image:

Palacio da Alvorada (Dawn Palace), Brasilia: the swimming pool with the chapel in the background. Monica Pidgeon / RIBA Collections, 1962