Sketches, hagiographies and recusals: the evolution of architectural history in the last 30 years

Abstract

The article addresses the evolution of the relationship between architecture, history and criticism in the last three decades through a review of the most relevant publications of the period. It describes the changes in the theorisation and valuation of history in the discipline, as well as the evolution of formats in the dissemination of content. The research confirms the phenomenon according to which the abundance of cultured and heterogeneous works that has characterised these years, as a consequence of the recent process of globalisation, has boosted the architectural monograph as a preferred genre, although it is currently in decline due to the new modes of content dissemination. Furthermore, the text considers how this intuited situation of history in relation to the discipline might evolve, which will most probably imply a reduction in the number of publications of authorial architectures in favour of solutions centred on other debates.