Hitchcock, Henry-Russell (1903–1987)

US architectural historian. He brought European modernism to America; Modern Architecture 1929, the first English-language book on the subject, was followed by his seminal international style exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art and his accompanying book (with Philip Johnson) 1932, and monographs on H H Richardson and Frank Lloyd Wright. He published volumes on 19th- and 20th-century architecture before turning to rococo German and Austrian architecture and the German Renaissance. Hitchcock influenced generations of architects and scholars through his many years of teaching (including Smith College 1948–68) and his leading role in the Society of Architectural Historians.

He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and trained at Harvard. Regarded as the founder of modern architectural historiography, Hitchcock combined rigorous scholarship, an acute critical eye, and a physical love of buildings in many publications on an unparalleled range of art historical subjects.