John Hejduk: London Masque

Architecture in the Ronald and Rita McAulay Gallery is a new free exhibition space at the heart of the RA. This ambitious installation features Hejduk’s design for the Widow’s House, one of 68 “objects” in his seminal Lancaster / Hanover Masque, brought to life.

The late American architect John Hejduk (1929 – 2000) believed that ideas were as important as buildings and that architecture had the power to evoke alternative worlds. Masques – popular royal entertainments of the 16th and 17th centuries featuring fantastical costumes and moving sets – inspired Hejduk to transform the way architecture is taught and imagined.

The Lancaster / Hanover Masque draws inspiration from an eclectic range of sources, including the novels of Thomas Hardy, English fairground attractions and American agricultural buildings. Hejduk used allegorical stories and a large cast of characters to deal with themes of life, death, love and virtue. The Widow is one such character in the masque.