Richard Meier (1934 – Present)
Newark, New Jersey – Architect of the Getty Center
A common theme runs through Richard Meier’s striking, white designs. The sleek porcelain-enameled cladding and stark glass forms have been described as “purist,” “sculptural,” and “Neo-Corbusian.”
Meier was born in Newark, New Jersey. He earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University in 1957, worked for Skidmore, Owings and Merrill briefly in 1959, and then for Marcel Breuer for three years, prior to starting his own practice in New York in 1963. Identified as one of The New York Five in 1972, his commission of the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California catapulted his popularity into the mainstream. Richard Meier & Partners Architects has offices in New York and Los Angeles with current projects ranging from China and Tel Aviv to Paris and Hamburg.
Much of Meier’s work builds on the work of architects of the early to mid-20th century, especially that of Le Corbusier and, in particular, Le Corbusier’s early phase. Meier has built more using Corbusier’s ideas than anyone, including Le Corbusier himself. Meier expanded many ideas evident in Le Corbusier’s work, particularly the Villa Savoye and the Swiss Pavilion.
Notable Buildings:
Getty Center in Los Angeles
City Hall and Central Library in the Hague
Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona
Museum of Television & Radio in Los Angeles
Quotes:
“I think white is the most wonderful color of all, because within it one can find every color of the rainbow.”
International Awards:
1984: Pritzker Architecture Prize
1989: Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects
1997: American Institute of Architects Gold Medal
