Jean Nouvel Wins Pritzker Prize
French architect Jean Nouvel, the creator of more than 200 projects worldwide, including the Institut du Monde Arabe and the Musée du Quai Branly (left) in Paris, has been designated to receive the most prestigious honor in the world of architecture, the Pritzker prize. The decision was announced on Sunday by the prize’s organizing committee; the official announcement will be today.
Mr. Nouvel is the second French architect to receive the prize. In 1994, it was awarded to Christian de Portzamparc. The jury credited him with having “greatly expanded the vocabulary of contemporary architecture” through his willingness to take risks. The chairman of the jury, Lord Peter Palumbo, praised him for the relevance of his buildings to their environment and purpose, noting “…a context, interpreted in the broadest sense to include culture, location, program and client, provokes him to develop a different strategy for each project.”
The prize, which consists of a cash award of $100,000 and a bronze medal, will be presented to Mr. Nouvel at a ceremony to be held on 2 June at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
The New York Times has produced a brilliant slide show of a number of his works.
Jan del Monte, blogging from the rue du Cherche-Midi, Paris, France
Photo of Musée du Quai Branly courtesy Wikipedia.
© 2008 Jan del Monte
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Delightful! I keep looking at the slide show and want to go visit the Musee du Quai Branly as soon as possible. The Pritzker prize does indeed pick the very best in the architectural world.