Patrick Geddes: A Portrait of a Wanderer Through His Library
Exhibition organized by the Richter University Library
Dates:September 14–October 5, 2012
Hours:8 a.m.–7 p.m.
Location:Richter University Library
Although little known to the general public,Patrick Geddes(Ballater, Scotland, 1854–Montpellier, 1932) was nonetheless a figure of unexpected depth. A pioneering biologist in the theory of symbiosis—so much so that he was hailed as the “Scottish Darwin”—and a theorist of active education, environmental approaches to urban planning, and pre-construction urban planning, he left a tangible mark in every field where he applied his keen intellect. He was the architect behind the Tel Aviv master plan of 1925–1926, the founder of a highly influential school of urban planning thought—of which the National School of Architecture of Montpellier(ENSAM) is one of many heirs—and the creator of large-scale exhibitions and historical reenactments.
But the man himself is equally fascinating: a proponent of the most progressive social theories of his time, the product of an Anglican upbringing that evolved into a form of theosophy that we would today label “New Age,” and a mind brimming with grandiose projects.
His connection to Montpellier was strong and by no means coincidental: drawing on the scientific tradition of Montpellier (Augustin Pyrame de Candolle,Jules-Émile Planchon,Auguste Comte) and as a close friendof Charles Flahault, he founded his school in Montpellier in 1924 with full awareness of its significance. The vibrant intellectual life he fostered there until his death in 1932, along with his teaching activitiesat the Collège des Écossaisand at the Château d’Assas, have earned him a prominent place in the region’s cultural heritage.
In collaboration with ENSAM, the Richter University Library—the successor to Geddes’s library—sought through this exhibition to shed light on the man and his unique intellectual legacy.
Photo credits: University of Montpellier / SCDI Montpellier – Photography Department