Key details
Date
- 12 September 2020
Author
- RCA
Read time
- 1 minute
It is with great sadness that the Royal College of Art has learnt of the death of Sir Terence Conran who was Provost of the College from 2003–11.
Key details
Date
- 12 September 2020
Author
- RCA
Read time
- 1 minute
Sir Jony Ive KBE, Chancellor of the College, and Dr Paul Thompson, Vice-Chancellor of the College, have commented on Sir Terence's enduring legacy in the field of design, offering condolences to his loved ones.
“There is no one more responsible for the democratisation of design than Terence. We stand upon his shoulders owing a mighty debt that can only be paid by honouring his dogged belief that form and function have to exist in balance, that simplicity has a unique beauty and that design is not a luxury but a necessity. He was my hero and my friend, already madly missed”
Chancellor
“The College would like to express its deep appreciation of Sir Terence Conran. We greatly benefited from his support and service as Provost for six years and he was involved with the college for over 25 years. His contribution to the design in this country, as a practitioner and as a promoter of design education, has been enormous. He will be especially remembered for the Design Museum, where I had the privilege to serve as director 1993–2001, under Terence’s chairmanship. It began as the Boilerhouse at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1982, first opened at Shad Thames, and is now at the former Commonwealth Institute in Kensington. His vision, his drive and his generosity have given the United Kingdom a significant cultural asset that will continue his life-long campaign to use design to improve all aspects of everyday life. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time.”
Vice-Chancellor