Theo Crosby. Born on 3 April 1925 in Mafeking (now Mahikeng), South Africa, Theo trained as an architect at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg before moving to London in 1948, partly in opposition to the apartheid regime. He also studied sculpture at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in the evenings. He quickly became a central figure in the city’s burgeoning design scene, and as Technical Editor of Architectural Design magazine during the 1950s, he provided a vital platform for experimental ideas. He also helped to nurture the early work of the group that would become Archigram, whose radical vision challenged conventional notions of urban living.
Theo played a key role in the groundbreaking 1956 This Is Tomorrow exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery, which challenged conventional boundaries between architecture, art, and design. Later, as a founding partner of Pentagram in 1972, he promoted an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach that continues to shape design practice today. Alongside his work at Pentagram, he sustained a wide range of other projects, including exhibitions such as How to Play the Environment Game held at the Hayward Gallery in 1973. One of his most celebrated and high-profile architectural projects is the rebuilding of Shakespeare’s Globe, which was finally completed after his death on 12 September 1994 in London.
Theo believed deeply in collaboration across disciplines and in the social purpose of design. Throughout his career, he advocated for architecture that was humane, contextual, and responsive to the needs of its users, opposing the alienation he saw in much late modernist practice. Beyond his professional achievements, Theo was a tireless advocate for public engagement with architecture, seeking to reconnect the built environment with art and community.
