Among the humanist notions central to Italian Fascism was the idea that art and architecture should represent and stimulate the production of a healthy body. Tim Benton looks at the notion of performative architecture and at the ability of modernism to deliver an effective architecture parlante within a Fascist context. As Professor of Art History at the Open University, he has written extensively on the history of modern architecture and design. He co-curated the exhibition Art and Power at the Hayward Gallery, contributing Speaking Without Adjectives: Architecture in the Service of Totalitarianism, and Rome Refinds its Empire to the catalogue. He was also co-curator of the exhibition Art Deco at the V & A and is engaged on a book concerning Le Corbusiers domestic architecture and another on Le Corbusier as a lecturer. NB: Problems with picture quality: wavy images and text.