Photographer John Donat in 1960s Crete

Travelling to Crete after completing his studies at the Architectural Association, John Donat found on the island the inspiration to redirect his career from architecture to photography – as he put it, Crete set him free. Initially attracted by the prospect of recording the outstanding byzantine frescoes of the local churches, Donat soon also turned his attention to the landscape and the towns’ streetscape. He became fascinated by all aspects of life on the island, from the many traditional crafts to the religious festivities. It is indeed in Crete that he started to explore the theme that would become the leitmotif of his work, the relationship between buildings and the people who inhabit them. Donat was to become one of the foremost British architectural photographers of his generation by capturing the built environment with a social documentary, almost photojournalistic approach. He always valued his experience in Crete and, many years later, he managed to publish his beautiful images of the island in the book Crete 1960 (Crete University Press, 1999) and display them at the Hellenic Centre in The Real Crete exhibition (2001).

Valeria Carullo, Photographs Curator at the Royal Institute of British Architects, presents Donat’s work. Q&A will follow the presentation.