Eric de Maré

• Name — Eric de Maré • Born — 10 September 1910 • Birthplace — London • Died — 22 January 2002 • Place of death — Painswick, Gloucestershire • Occupation — Architectural photographer, Author • Years Active — 1933–2002

Eric Samuel de Maré was born in London on the 10 September 1910, the second son of Swedish parents, Bror Edward August de Maré (a timber broker) and his wife Ellen Ingrid (née Tellander). His younger brother was the psychotherapist Patrick de Maré. He was educated at St Paul's School in London before becoming a student of the Architectural Association in 1928. Following graduation in 1933, he went to Scandinavia to travel and work. A number of his later publications focus on Sweden. He was a supporter of the Social Credit movement. He married firstly in London in 1936 Marjorie Vanessa (née Vallance) and secondly in Henley in 1974 Enid, née Hill, designer and colour theorist, widow of Terence Verity.

On his return to England from Sweden, de Maré joined the Architectural Press and became the acting editor of Architects' Journal, in 1943. In 1942, de Maré had published his first book, titled 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 public English Heritage Archive. He asserted that photography and, more importantly the photographer, was key to a critical appreciation of architecture. In Gerald Woods' 1972 book 'Art without Boundaries' de Maré wrote: "The photographer is perhaps the best architectural critic, for, by felicitous framing and selection, he can communicate direct and powerful comments both in praise and protest: he can also discover and reveal architecture where none was intended." In that vein, in 1948, he started his documentation of the canals and waterways in which he explored the "vernacular (and) the anonymous architecture" which made up much of the landscape of the country. In that year he boated a dozen of the English canals during a 600-mile tour, photographing the landscapes, buildings and people he encountered. The record of this journey resulted in a special issue of Architectural Review in 1949. The following year saw the publication of The Canals of England. The book provided a historical and technical description of inland waterways graced with de Maré's photography. As a result of his work on canals, he was commissioned in 1950 to travel throughout England to photograph early industrial sites and buildings by the then editor of the Architectural Review, A. R. Richards. The resulting images were combined with J.M. 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 until this study which promoted an increased interest in the qualities of early industrial structures. De Maré's 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 de Maré is recorded as photographer, writer and architect.