Minnette de Silva facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Minnette de Silva
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Minnette de Silva with Pablo Picasso (left) at the World Congress of Intellectuals in Defense of Peace, 1948
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Minnette de Silva
1 February 1918 Kandy, Ceylon
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| Died | 24 November 1998 (aged 80) Kandy, Sri Lanka
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| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Alma mater | Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art Architectural Association School of Architecture |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Parent(s) | George E. de Silva Agnes de Silva |
| Awards | SLIA Gold Medal (1996) |
| Practice | Minnette de Silva Associates |
| Buildings | See below |
| Projects | Kandy Art Centre |
Minnette de Silva (Sinhala: මිනට් ද සිල්වා;Tamil: மினிட் டி சில்வா; February 1, 1918 – November 24, 1998) was a famous architect from Sri Lanka. She is known as a pioneer of modern architecture in her home country. She was also a member of the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects.
Minnette de Silva was the first Sri Lankan woman to train as an architect. She was also the first Asian woman to become an associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in 1948. She was a founding member of Marg, a magazine about modern art and culture. Later in her life, she received the SLIA Gold Medal. This award recognized her important work in creating a unique modern style of architecture for tropical places like Sri Lanka.
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Minnette de Silva's Early Life (1918–1930)
Minnette de Silva was born on February 1, 1918, in Kandy, Sri Lanka. She came from a well-known family. Her father, George E. de Silva, was a famous politician in Kandy. He was a Sinhalese Buddhist and led the Ceylon National Congress. He also served as a Minister of Health.
Her mother, Agnes Nell, was a Burgher Christian. She worked hard to help all people in Sri Lanka get the right to vote. Minnette was the youngest of three children. Her sister, Anil de Silva, was an art critic and historian. Her brother, Fredrick de Silva, was a lawyer and politician. He was the Mayor of Kandy and later a member of Parliament. He also served as Sri Lanka's Ambassador to France.
Minnette went to school in Brighton, England, at St. Mary's. She returned to Sri Lanka in 1929. At that time, she could not train as an architect in Colombo. So, she convinced her father and her uncle, Dr. Andreas Nell, to let her go to Bombay (now Mumbai), India. There, she trained at the Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art.
Her Education Journey (1930–1948)
Studying in India (1938–1942)
Minnette de Silva did not finish all her high school exams. Because of this, she first worked as an apprentice for an architecture firm in Bombay. She became friends with Perin Mistry and her brother Minoo. Minnette also took private classes before joining the Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art.
She was part of a group of artists and thinkers in India. This group included famous people like Mulk Raj Anand and Ravi Shankar. Minnette became the architecture editor for Marg, a new magazine about modern art. During a time of political change in India, she joined a march to support Mahatma Gandhi. Because of this, she was asked to leave her school. After that, she worked for an architect named Otto Koenigsberger in Bangalore. She helped him design ready-made houses for a steel city plan.
Architectural Association (1945–1948)
During a short visit to Sri Lanka, Minnette met Herwald Ramsbotham. He was the Governor-General of Ceylon (Sri Lanka's name back then). He was very interested in her situation. He helped her get a special place at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. This allowed her to take a special exam for students returning after the war.
Minnette de Silva's Career
Starting Her Career (1948–1962)
Minnette de Silva came back to Sri Lanka in 1948. Her father wanted her to help build the newly independent country. She returned to her parents' home in Kandy and started her architecture career. She decided to stay in Kandy because it was the cultural heart of the nation. Her parents had taught her to love her country and its traditions.
As a child, Minnette spent time with local artists and craftspeople. Her parents also took her to see ancient Sri Lankan buildings. She was inspired by Ananda Coomaraswamy, who believed in keeping traditional arts and crafts alive. Minnette became one of the first Sri Lankan architects to support local craftspeople. She created her own style of architecture. It mixed building ideas from the West with traditional Sri Lankan and Indian designs. This style is still seen in Sri Lankan architecture today.
Her first building was the Karunaratne House in Kandy. She got this job in 1949 from her parents' friends. They asked her to build a house for Rs 40,000. She designed a unique split-level house on a hill. This was the first building designed by a woman in Sri Lanka. It got a lot of attention and caused some discussion. Minnette faced many challenges as the first and only woman architect working independently. Contractors and businesses sometimes did not trust her because she was a woman working alone.
After finishing the Karunaratne house in 1951, the 1950s became her busiest time.
Traveling the World (1962–1973)
In 1962, Minnette de Silva's mother passed away. Minnette then faced some health problems and felt sad. During the 1960s, she traveled a lot and spent long periods away from Sri Lanka. This caused her architecture business to slow down.
In 1960, she left Sri Lanka for five years. She called this time her "self-renewal" period. She traveled to Greece, Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, and visited India again. After returning to Sri Lanka, she worked on designing several large hotels for tourists.
Working in London and Hong Kong (1973–1979)
In the 1970s, the government in Sri Lanka changed. Minnette de Silva felt uncomfortable with the new government. In 1973, she closed her office and moved to London. While in London, she wrote a section on South Asian architecture for a new edition of A History of Architecture by Banister Fletcher.
Her work on this book helped her get a job at the University of Hong Kong. She became a lecturer in the history of Asian architecture. She stayed in Hong Kong from 1975 to 1979. She created a new way to teach the history of architecture in an Asian setting. During this time, she also put together an exhibition. It showed her large collection of photos of traditional Asian architecture.
Back in Kandy (1979–1998)
When Minnette de Silva returned to Kandy in 1979, she tried to restart her architecture business. However, it was hard to find experienced staff. This was the last part of her career, and she only completed three more buildings.
In 1982, Minnette started working on the Kandy Art Association and Centenary Culture Centre in her hometown. She designed the center with many levels of traditional Kandyan tiled roofs. It included local features like thorana (gateways), midulas (open courts), mandapas (pavilions), rangahala (space for dance and music), and avanhala (a dining hall).
The center was designed as a large, open space where many activities could happen. It blended architecture with entertainment. An area dug out at the back became a natural amphitheatre. An old 150-year-old building next to the site became a key part of the new design. Minnette wanted the Art Centre to be a great example of modern Kandyan architecture.
Her Final Years
Minnette de Silva often struggled with money throughout her life. She passed away without much money in a hospital in Kandy on November 24, 1998. She was 80 years old.
Her Lasting Impact
Special Recognition
In 1996, two years before she died, Minnette de Silva received the Gold Medal from the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects. This was a very important award, as her work had been largely overlooked for much of her career.
List of Works
Minnette de Silva designed many buildings throughout her career. Here are some of her notable projects:
- Karunaratne House, Kandy (1947–51)
- Jinaraja College, Gampola (1950–51)
- Pieris House I, Colombo (1952–6)
- Watapuluwa Housing Scheme, Kandy (1958)
- Sri Palee Open Air Theatre, University of Peradeniya, (1958–59)
- Kandy Arts Centre, Kandy (1982–84)
- Segar House, Ja-Ela (1991)
See also
In Spanish: Minnette de Silva para niños
