The outstanding Japanese architect Arata Isozaki has been named the 2019 laureate of the Pritzker Prize. The prize winner, referred to by some as the "emperor of Japanese architecture", was born in Ôita in 1931, and says his first conscious encounter with architecture was after the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki – architecture sublimated from ground zero and evading stylistic categorisation.
After gaining a doctorate at Tokyo University, Arata Isozaki worked under 1987 Pritzker Prize winner Kenzo Tange, whose protégé he became, and went on to found his own office Arata Isozaki & Associates in 1963. The jury particularly noted the international character of his architecture, which adeptly fuses east and west, and acknowledged his theoretical writings as reflecting a historical relevance unrivalled in breadth and depth.
Among others, his best-known buildings include the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles (1986), the Art Tower Mito in Ibaraki (1990), the Team Disney Building in Florida (1991), the Qatar National Convention Center in Doha (2011) and the Allianz Tower (2014) in Milan.
Photo: Tsukuba Center Building, Photo courtesy of Yasuhiro Ishimoto
Photo: Tsukuba Center Building, Photo courtesy of Yasuhiro Ishimoto
Rendering: The Museum of Contemporary Art, Rendering courtesy of Arata Isozaki and Associates
Photo: The Museum of Contemporary Art, Photo courtesy of Hisao Suzuki
Photo: The Museum of Contemporary Art, Photo courtesy of Yasuhiro Ishimoto
Photo: Kitakyushu Central Library, Photo courtesy of Yasuhiro Ishimoto
Photo: Kitakyushu Central Library, Photo courtesy of Yasuhiro Ishimoto
Photo: Nara Centennial Hall, Photos courtesy of Hisao Suzuki
Photo: Domus: La Casa del Hombre, Photo courtesy of Hisao Suzuki
Photo: Domus: La Casa del Hombre, Photo courtesy of Hisao Suzuki
Photo: Domus: La Casa del Hombre, Photo courtesy of Hisao Suzuki
Photo: Domus: La Casa del Hombre, Photo courtesy of Hisao Suzuki
Photo: Ceramic Park Mino, Photo courtesy of Hisao Suzuki
Photo: The Museum of Modern Art Gunma, Photo courtesy of Yasuhiro Ishimoto
Photo: Ōita Prefectural Library, Photo courtesy of Yasuhiro Ishimoto
Photo: Ōita Prefectural Library, Photo courtesy of Yasuhiro Ishimoto
Photo: Ōita Prefectural Library, Photo courtesy of Yasuhiro Ishimoto
Photo: LUCERNE FESTIVAL ARK NOVA (designed by Anish Kapoor and Arata Isozaki), Photo courtesy of Iwan Baan, Matsushima
Photo: LUCERNE FESTIVAL ARK NOVA (designed by Anish Kapoor and Arata Isozaki), Photo courtesy of Iwan Baan, Matsushima
Photo: Allianz Tower, Photos courtesy of Alessandra Chemollo
Photo: Allianz Tower, Photos courtesy of Alessandra Chemollo
Photo: Art Tower Mito, Photo courtesy of Yasuhiro Ishimoto
Photo: Art Tower Mito, Photos courtesy of Yasuhiro Ishimoto
Photo: Art Tower Mito, Photo courtesy of Yasuhiro Ishimoto
Photo: Qatar National Convention Center, Photo courtesy of Hisao Suzuki
Photo: Qatar National Convention Center, Photo courtesy of Hisao Suzuki
