AR00001
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Person
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1939-2019
Charles Jencks was born on 21 June 1939 in Baltimore, Maryland. His parents were Gardner Jencks, a pianist and composer, and Ruth (nee DeWitt Pearl). He took at BA in English Literature at Harvard University (1961) and then a BA and MA at Harvard Graduate School of Design (1965) He received a PhD from London University in 1970 for his thesis "Modern architecture: the tradition since 1945" which led to a series of articles in Arena and to the publication Modern Movements in Architecture (1972). From 1961 to 1973 he was married to Pamela Balding and had two sons, Justin and Cosmo. He married Maggie Keswick Jencks and had two children, John and Lily. Maggie died in 1995. In 2006 he married Louisa Lane Fox . He died on 13 October 2019.
AR00002
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Person
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1941-1995
Maggie Keswick Jencks, Charles Jencks’ wife and collaborator, was a Scottish writer, artist and garden designer. She collaborated on the design of The Cosmic House and helped shape the intellectual life that unfolded there until her untimely death in 1995 at the age of 54.
She was born on the 10th of October 1941, the only child of Sir John Keswick and Lady Clare Keswick. As Sir John was the head of the Asian conglomerate Jardine Matheson, Maggie was brought up travelling to China, Hong Kong and South-East Asia at a time when few foreigners visited. During her visits, she developed a love for Chinese culture, in particular the highly designed classical gardens of Suzhou and Hangzhou in Western China. Her book *The Chinese Garden* (first pub 1978) was one of the most respected books on these intensely designed gardens for many years, and the first book of its kind written in English. Maggie and Charles met when she studied at the Architectural Association where Charles was teaching, and they married in 1978. Maggie and Charles travelled extensively together and sometimes lectured in the same venue (she on Chinese Gardens, and he on Post Modernism). This is also the year they purchase the building that would become The Cosmic House. Maggie was particularly influential in the design of the garden, although she was involved in every decision about the design of the house. Maggie was influential in Charles’ ideas on Post-Modernism, being a demanding debate partner on cultural issues and a keen editor of his manuscripts. She had an excellent hand at drawing and painting and produced many beautiful sketchbooks.
AR00003
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Person
Film director
AR00004
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Person
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1980-
Lily Jencks is an architectural and landscape designer. She founded Jencks Squared, a landart company with Charles, her father, in 2010, and worked on projects in collaboration with him in South Korea, Scotland, as well as designing the new exhibition space at The Cosmic House. Lily also runs her own eponymous design studio. She taught design units Dip13 and Exp13 at the Architectural Association 2015-2021. She sits on the board of the Maggie's Centers in Hong Kong.
AR00005
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Corporate body
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2021-
AR00006
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Corporate body
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2010-2022
A landart company founded by Charles Jencks and Lily Jencks
AR00007
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Person
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1938-
In 1978 Farrell was commissioned to design the architectural shell of what would become known as The Thematic House.
AR00008
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Corporate body
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1965 - Present
Founded in 1965 as the Farrell/Grimshaw Partnership. Grimshaw left the firm on 30 April 1980 to found Grimshaw Architects, while Farrell changed the name of the company to Terry Farrell Partnership. Known as Farrells from 1991.
AR00009
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Person
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1924-2005
Artist
AR00010
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Person
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1947-
Artist.
Scott sculpted the bust of Hephaestus in the Winter room, modelled on Eduardo Paolozzi.