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Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
L.A.'s rebel architects, now elders, revisit norm-busting Venice Beach art scene
On a wide, empty stretch of Venice Beach in 1980, seven Los Angeles architects — Frank Gehry, Thom Mayne, Eric Owen Moss, Coy Howard, Craig Hodgetts, Robert Mangurian and Frederick Fisher — gathered for a group portrait by photographer Ave Pildas. Clad in mismatched outfits and standing casually in the sand, they looked more like a rumpled rock band than the future of American architecture. The resulting image, published in Interiors magazine, distilled a seismic moment in L.A.'s creative history. Those seven, gazing in their own directions yet joined in a sense of mischievous rebellion and cocky exuberance, represented a new generation that was bringing a brash, loose creativity to their work and starting to distance itself from the buttoned-up codes and expectations of the architecture establishment. Each would go on to have a successful career, from Pritzker Architecture Prize winners to directors of architecture schools. And they and their compatriots would, for a while at least, help put a rapidly changing L.A. at the center of the built culture. 'That one photograph contains a whole world,' notes filmmaker Russell Brown, who recently directed a 12-part documentary series about that Venice architecture scene. 'There was risk going on, and freedom; it was all about ideas.' 'It's become a kind of reference point,' adds architectural journalist Frances Anderton, host of the series. 'It just keeps reappearing whenever there's a conversation about that period.' The 1980 image is the jumping-off point for 'Rebel Architects: From Venice to the World Stage,' produced by Brown's nonprofit, Friends of Residential Treasures: Los Angeles. Four of the architects — now in their 70s and 80s — gathered for a (far less brash) new photo and an honest conversation about their early careers in L.A., and what's transpired since for the series, which began streaming monthly on FORT: LA's website July 1. A native Angeleno with a background in feature and documentary filmmaking, Brown conceived of the concept after a chat with architect Robert Thibodeau, co-founder of Venice-based DU Architects. After a deeper dive into the image with Anderton, the idea for a reunion was born. 'We thought, why don't we restage the photo and then use that as an excuse to get the guys together?' Brown explains. He preferred a spontaneous, lighthearted group discussion to the typical documentary, with its one-on-one interviews and heavy production. 'It's about the chemistry between creative peers,' says Brown. 'The real legacy of these architects isn't just in the buildings. It's in the conversations they started — and are still having.' He added: 'There's a spark that happens when they're together ... They talk about failure, competition, teaching, aging. It's a very human exchange.' Episode 1, titled 'Capturing a Moment in L.A. Architecture,' opens with four of the surviving architects — Fisher, Mayne, Moss and Hodgetts — recreating that seminal photograph for Pildas and sitting down for an interview. (Howard was interviewed separately, Gehry declined and Mangurian died in 2023.) The group dissects the photo's cinematic, informal composition, in which Pildas aims down from a berm, the neglected buildings behind the eclectic crew shrinking into the horizon, merging with the sand. And they remember a time in which the city's messy urban forms and perceived cultural inferiority provided endless creative fuel, and liberation. Pildas recalls how the original shoot came together at the request of British design editor Beverly Russell, who was looking to capture 'Frank Gehry and some of his Turks.' (The international design press was gaga for L.A. at the time. Anderton notes that her move from the U.K. resulted from a similar assignment, on the 'subversive architects of the West Coast,' for the publication Architectural Review in 1987.) At the time, most of the architects were working in garages and warehouses, forming their studios and collaborating with equally norm-busting and (relatively) unheralded artists in the scrappy, dangerous, forgotten, yet exploding Venice scene. In a later episode, the architects start listing the art talents they would run into, or befriend, including Larry Bell, James Turrell, Ed Ruscha, Fred Eversley, Robert Irwin, Robert Rauschenberg and Jean-Michel Basquiat, to name a few. Basquiat was then living and working in Hodgetts' building. 'It was a spectacular fusion of all this creative energy,' Hodgetts remembers. 'There was no audience, there were no guardrails, and one did not feel constrained.' He adds, later: 'We all felt like we were marooned on a desert island.' Pildas, who had studied architecture before switching to design and, eventually, photography, was uniquely suited to capture the group. He had shot some of the small, quirky experiments of Mangurian and Mayne, and knew most of the others through social and professional circles. (He even knew Hodgetts from high school back in Cincinnati.) The first attempt at the photo seemed stiff, says Pildas, so he took out a joint, which all except Hodgetts accepted, he says. The icebreaker worked. In a later image, says Pildas, Fisher is hugging Gehry's leg, the others huddled around. 'It got pretty friendly in the end,' he jokes. Pildas argues that the photo is much more layered with meaning (not to mention nostalgia) now than it was at the time. 'Back then, it was just another magazine shoot. Now, it's history,' he says. Adds Moss: 'Its relevancy, or not, is confirmed by the following years. Otherwise it's gone.' Each episode explores the image's layers, and the unfolding stories that followed — the challenges of maintaining originality; crucial role of journalists in promoting their work; maddening disconnect between L.A.'s talent and its clients, along with the mercurial, ever-evolving identity of Los Angeles. The tone, like the photo, is unpretentious and playful, heavy on character and story, not theory. This was not always an easy task with a group that can get esoteric quite quickly, adds Anderton. 'I was trying to keep it light,' she laughs. 'I don't think I even have the ability to talk in the language of the academy.' 'They're cracking jokes, interrupting each other, reminiscing about teaching gigs and design arguments,' says Brown. 'There's real affection, but also a sense of rivalry that never fully went away.' Hodgetts doesn't see it that way, however. 'It was really about the joy of creating things. We wanted to jam a bit, perform together; that's really life-affirming,' he says. There are some revealing moments. Mayne, whose firm Morphosis is known for bold, city-altering buildings such as Caltrans HQ in downtown L.A., reflects on teaching as a way of 'being the father I never had.' (His father left his family when he was a young boy.) He tenderly discusses the seminal role that his wife Blythe — a co-owner of Morphosis — has played in his career. Fisher reveals that Gehry was the chief reason he dropped everything to come out to L.A. (At the time, he was working as a display designer at a department store in Cincinnati.) 'I remember seeing this architect jumping up and down on cardboard furniture. I could see there was something going on here. Something percolating,' he says. Moss opens up about his struggles to negotiate the demands of the practical world, while Hodgetts performs brilliant critiques of the others' work, sometimes to broad smiles, others to cringes. Notably absent from the reunion is Gehry himself, who is now 96. 'He's at a point in his life where trudging through sand for a photo wasn't going to happen,' says Brown. 'But his presence is everywhere. He's still the elephant in the room.' One episode explores how Gehry, about a decade older than the others, both profoundly influenced and often overshadowed the group — a reality that was perhaps reinforced by his nonchalant dominance in the photo itself. 'Frank takes up a lot of oxygen,' Mayne quips. Still, all admire Gehry's unwillingness to compromise creatively, despite often heavy criticism. Another prevailing theme is the bittersweet loss of that early sense of freedom, and the Venice of the 1970s, with its breathtakingly low rents and abandoned charm. Today's architects — wherever they are — face higher stakes, infinitely higher costs and tighter regulations. 'The Venice we grew up with is completely gone,' says Fisher. 'But maybe it's just moved,' noted Moss. Distinguishing L.A. as a place whose energy and attention is constantly shifting, he wonders if creative ferment might now be happening in faraway places like Tehachapi — 'wherever land is cheap and ambition is high,' he says. While Pildas was capturing the seven architects 45 years ago, he was also busy chronicling the city's street culture — jazz clubs, boulevard eccentrics, decaying movie palaces and bohemian artists. All were featured in the 2023 documentary 'Ave's America' (streaming on Prime Video) directed by his former student, Patrick Taulère, exploring his six decades of humbly perceptive, deeply human work. After reviewing the recreation of the photo — the architects are still smiling this time, but their scrappy overconfidence feels eons away — Pildas wonders who the next generation will be, and how they will rise. 'Maybe it'll happen that they'll have another picture someday with a bunch of new architects, right?' he says. 'This is a fertile ground for architecture anyway, and always has been.' Exposing that 'fertile ground' to Angelenos of all kinds is FORT: LA's overarching goal. Founded in 2020, it offers architecture trails, fellowships and a surprising variety of programming, from design competitions to architecture-themed wine tastings. All, says Brown, is delivered, like 'Rebel Architects,' with a sense of accessible joy and exploration — an especially useful gift in a turbulent, insecure time for the city. 'Suddenly, you kind of think about the city in a different way and feel it in a different way,' says Brown. 'This is a place that allows this kind of vision to come to life.'
The National
06-05-2025
- General
- The National
Liu Jiakun receives 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize at Louvre Abu Dhabi ceremony
Liu Jiakun has been awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in a ceremony at Louvre Abu Dhabi. Monday's event was the first time the UAE capital had hosted the ceremony for the prestigious accolade, which is intended to honour a living architect whose work shows 'talent, vision and commitment', according to the Pritzker Prize's website. Liu is difficult to box into a specific aesthetic, however, the Chinese architect is driven by a clear and steadfast ethos. He is renowned for spurning style in favour of social requirements, and his designs are informed by the purpose of the site and the materials that are readily available. For Liu, architecture should not be applied. Rather, it should be cultivated organically from the local context. Perhaps it is for this reason that several of his designs were constructed in the city he knows best – his hometown of Chengdu, capital of the Sichuan province. 'Architecture should reveal something,' he said in a statement shared by the Pritzker Prize. 'It should abstract, distil and make visible the inherent qualities of local people. It has the power to shape human behaviour and create atmospheres, offering a sense of serenity and poetry, evoking compassion and mercy, and cultivating a sense of shared community.' Liu's works include the Luyeyuan Stone Sculpture Art Museum, which incorporates elements from a traditional Chinese garden. This ability to smoothly blend architecture within natural topography can also be seen in his renovation of the Tianbao Cave District. He is also known for his work following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, in which he repurposed rubble as materials for new projects. He used this 'rebirth brick' approach in his designs for the Novartis Shanghai Campus, Xicun Compound and Shuijingfang Museum. The most famous and poignant example of the technique is his Hu Huishan Memorial, a structure named in honour of a 15-year-old girl who died in the earthquake. 'Through an outstanding body of work of deep coherence and constant quality, Liu Jiakun imagines and constructs new worlds, free from any aesthetic or stylistic constraint,' the 2025 jury for the Pritzker Prize, chaired by Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena, said in a statement. 'Instead of a style, he has developed a strategy that never relies on a recurring method but rather on evaluating the specific characteristics and requirements of each project differently. That is to say, Liu Jiakun takes present realities and handles them to the point of offering sometimes a whole new scenario of daily life. Beyond knowledge and techniques, common sense and wisdom are the most powerful tools he adds to the designer's toolbox.' Liu shared insights into his practice during a discussion at the Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi on Saturday, May 3. He was joined by other Pritzker laureates including the Japanese architect Riken Yamamoto and the British architect David Chipperfield. The three discussed the potential for architecture to honour culture while simultaneously bolstering communities.
Al Etihad
05-05-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed attends 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize Ceremony
5 May 2025 23:10 ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, has attended the 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize ceremony at Louvre Abu ceremony underscored the importance of fostering intellectual dialogue and creative exchange through the support of architecture and design as fundamental pillars of sustainable development and cultural Dhabi's architectural legacy is rooted in decades of thoughtful investment, from the restoration of key heritage sites - such as Qasr Al Hosn and the Cultural Foundation - to the creation of modern landmarks, including Louvre Abu Dhabi by Jean Nouvel (Pritzker Laureate, 2008), the upcoming Zayed National Museum by Lord Norman Foster (Pritzker Laureate, 1999), and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi by Frank Gehry (Pritzker Laureate, 1989).These projects reflect the emirate's long-term commitment to shaping a culturally rich and inclusive urban landscape that resonates locally and globally, reinforcing its status as a leading destination for architectural excellence and cross-cultural exchange. The ceremony, hosted at the Louvre Abu Dhabi by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), honoured Chinese architect Liu Jiakun as the 2025 Laureate, and brought together prominent figures from the global architecture community, including several past Pritzker Prize recipients.
Al Etihad
05-05-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi reveals Abu Dhabi to host Pritzker Architecture Prize ceremony in Middle East for first time
5 May 2025 16:14 ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD) The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has announced that Abu Dhabi will host the 2025 Pritzker Prize ceremony, marking a historic first for the UAE and the Middle East. As the world's most esteemed recognition in the field of architecture, the Pritzker Architecture Prize honours living architects whose work demonstrates a combination of talent, vision, and commitment. Their contributions must show consistent and significant impact on humanity and the built environment through the art of Dhabi's selection as the host city further strengthens its role as a leading destination for the world's foremost creative thinkers, and reflects the emirate's growing contribution to global architectural discourse, with a legacy of bold vision and cultural investment that bridges heritage, innovation, and of DCT Abu Dhabi, His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, said, "We are deeply honoured that Abu Dhabi has been chosen as the host city for the 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize, reflecting the recognition Abu Dhabi has received globally as a cultural centre. By hosting this event, DCT Abu Dhabi is honoured to offer a platform for the exchange of ideas that will shape the cities of tomorrow. This reaffirms Abu Dhabi's long-term vision to place creativity, dialogue, and sustainability at the heart of our development, and our belief in the transformative power of architecture to shape communities and enrich lives.'From the development and restoration of the Cultural Foundation to modern icons like Louvre Abu Dhabi, designed by Jean Nouvel (Pritzker Prize Laureate, 2008), the soon-to-open Zayed National Museum by Lord Norman Foster (Pritzker Prize Laureate, 1999), and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi by Frank Gehry (Pritzker Prize Laureate, 1989), the emirate has emerged as a global centre for transformative and meaningful landmark projects are in line with DCT Abu Dhabi's ongoing commitment to preserving, promoting, and protecting the emirate's rich cultural heritage while also championing innovation and creativity as drivers of sustainable development and global event will coincide with a public panel discussion taking place at the Cultural Foundation on May 3, led by Liu Jiakun, the 2025 Pritzker Prize will be joined by fellow Laureates Riken Yamamoto (2024), David Chipperfield (2023), and Francis Kéré (2022). Together, these leading voices will explore the role of architecture in celebrating cultural expression reflected in their own practices and the future of the built environment.
CNA
03-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
SANAA by city: Where to see this award-winning Japanese architecture firm's iconic works
Twenty years ago when I was an architecture student, SANAA (Sejima and Nishizawa and Associates) started gaining prominence. Helmed by architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishisawa and founded in 1995, the Japanese architecture firm's works were discussed, dissected and used as case studies for their new ways of thinking about spatial design, human interaction and material application. Over the years, SANAA has gained international prominence with projects all over the world. These include Grace Farms in Connecticut, Toledo Museum of Art's Glass Pavilion in Ohio and the New Museum in New York. The firm was also invited to design the 2009 Serpentine Pavilion in London's Kensington Gardens, an annual commission for top architects to showcase their ethos via a temporary structure. In 2012, the duo was awarded the architecture world's highest honour, the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Kazuyo was only the second woman to claim the prize since it started in 1979. In February this year, she and Nishizawa claimed yet another prestigious prize – the Royal Institute of British Architects' Royal Gold Medal for architecture, which recognises a person or group of people who have made significant impact on the advancement of architecture through their lifetimes. His Majesty the King, Charles III presented the award on May 1. Since it started 177 years ago, the RIBA Gold Medal Award has highlighted the works of many luminary architects. Past medallists include Frank Lloyd Wright, Norman Foster, the late-Zaha Hadid, Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi and Oscar Niemeyer. The 2025 RIBA Honours Committee cites the ability of SANAA's works 'to reshape the global design landscape, creating spaces that bring simplicity, light, and elegance to the fore.' They are both bold yet sensitive to their local environments, and have the ability 'to shape a universal language of architecture that resonates with people everywhere.' 'We are delighted and very honoured to receive the Royal Gold Medal. We have always believed that architecture can transform and repair environments, helping us. to relate to our surroundings, nature and each other. Throughout our careers, we have tried to make spaces that bring people together, inviting them to imagine new ways of living and learning collectively,' said Kazuyo and Nishizawa in a press statement upon hearing about the win. Kazuyo was born in Ibaraki prefecture, Japan, in 1956 and studied at Japan Women's University. She worked at reputed architecture firm, Toyo Ito Architect and Associates for six years, which provided ample inspiration for her future work. Kazuyo is a virtuoso in combining materials like glass, aluminium with light and reflectivity, enlivening flat, plain surfaces. Apart from SANAA, she also runs her eponymous firm, Kazuyo Sejima & Associates. At the age of 44, Nishizawa was the youngest recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize when he received it in 2010. Like Kazuyo, he also runs his own firm, Office of Ryue Nishizawa. Some of its experimental projects include the much-photographed Teshima Art Musem on the island of Naoshima and House No.03 for Shishi-Iwa House – a cluster of boutique hotels in Karuizawa designed by several Pritzker Prize architects. Sejima is designing SSH No. 04 that is scheduled to open in Hakone, Japan later this year. The progressive nature of SANAA's celebrated works makes them interesting places to experience. Here we highlight nine cities with a SANAA project that you can easily add to your travel itinerary. TOKYO, JAPAN View this post on Instagram A post shared by 牧童製作所 (@shephotoerd) Tokyo's famous shopping street is known for many iconic boutiques with landmark architecture, such as the Prada flagship by Herzog & de Meuron and Tod's by Toyo Ito. Another one is Dior, with a shell by SANAA and interior by American architect Peter Marino. SANAA's architecture is given a light demeanour with a two-layered facade made of a clean clear glass outer skin and a translucent wavy acrylic inside layer. These are sandwiched between horizontal white bands, reflecting the building's differentiating interior heights. Each level features a different level of translucency, which gives the building a dynamic character, especially at night when it glows like a lantern. KANAZAWA, JAPAN 21st Century Museum of Art Located in Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa is known for its well-preserved Edo-era architecture and art museums. It is also a UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art. One of its most popular attractions is the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art that showcases an original way of viewing and enjoying art, one of which is Leandro Erlich's famous 'swimming pool'. Placed in a park, the low-rise building is a 112.5m diameter circular building capped by a thin roof. Within, boxy volumes of various sizes and heights define exhibition halls and other museum functions. The leftover space becomes public areas to meander around in. The unusual layout allows for flexible museum programming while the 360-degree perimeter glass walls intertwine views of the park with the interior. NAOSHIMA, JAPAN Naoshima Port Ferry Terminal View this post on Instagram A post shared by Finding Naoshima (@finding_naoshima) Naoshima is a pilgrimage hotspot for art lovers who come here to experience spaces and works such as Tadao Ando's Chichu Art Museum and Yayoi Kusama's Yellow Pumpkin site-specific sculpture, poised against the sea. SANAA created a small passenger terminal on the Japanese island for passengers waiting to disembark the island, or park their bicycles or motorbikes. The firm designed the giant cluster of white bubbles as a landmark that can be easily spotted by visitors heading to the terminal or approaching the terminal by ship. Modelled on a cumulonimbus cloud, it is made of intersecting, fibre-reinforced plastic spheres and a timber grid structure. TSURUOKA, JAPAN Shogin Tact Tsuruoka Located in Yamagata Prefecture, Tsuruoka is a great destination for visitors to Japan wishing to seek out lesser-known areas. It has both natural and manmade beauty – towering mountains, open farmland, stretches of coastline. The Kamo Aquarium that has the largest aquarium display of jellyfish in the world, as well as historic and modern architecture. Tsuruoka is also Japan's only UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, guaranteeing filled tummies. Tsuruoka is home to the Dewa Sanzan (Three Holy Mountains of Dewa). The roof of the SANAA-designed Shogin Tact Tsuruoka mimics their undulating forms. The building is a community hall promoting cultural and artistic activities in the traditional farming town. Made of sheet metal, plastered concrete and curved steel framing, the multiple pitched shapes lower to a one-storey height along the road to harmonise with the surrounding cityscape and historic structures. The New Museum was founded in 1977 to showcase emerging artists. Its original location was in a SoHo loft but in 2003, SANAA was commissioned to create a new home for the museum to establish a strong visual presence and reach a wider audience. It was the first, purpose-built contemporary art museum in New York City. SANAA's architecture is known as being diagrammatically clear and simple. Hence, the New Museum is a series of 10 stacked, staggered boxes rising up the Bowery neighbourhood. The stacking brings natural light into the galleries through skylights through the differential gaps between each 'box'. The exterior, clad in two layers of industrial aluminium mesh, has a shimmering, textured effect that elevates the commonplace construction material. PARIS, FRANCE La Samaritaine La Samaritaine is a late 19th century "Les Grands Magasin" in Paris' first arrondissement. Among its many programmes is the Cheval Blanc Paris hotel. Started by Ernest Cognacq, the department store grew from a small corner shop in 1870 to a 70,000 sq m block combining Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. In 2012, SANAA, together with Francois Burgel Architectes Associes, LAGNEAU Architectes and SRA Architects, completed a renovation of the building. SANAA carved an internal passageway through the length of the existing building to connect three full-height courtyards. These function as social cores, surrounded by commercial activity. Outside, a new facade for the Rue de Rivoli building stiches together panels of undulating glass that shimmer in the sunlight and reflect its context in a most nuanced, romantic manner. Louvre-Lens Opened in 2012 and located in Lens, 200km north of France, Louvre-Lens is the Musee du Louvre's sister gallery, designed by SANAA in collaboration with New York studio Imrey Culbert. It aims to make art institutions more accessible to people living outside Paris. Lens is a former mining community devastated by both World Wars and the Nazi occupation, and it was hoped that the museum would bring rebirth to the city. Similar to some of SANAA's other 'transparent' buildings, Louvre-Lens features a thin, barely-there roof. A 360m-long glass facade dissolves boundaries between the internal and their external environments. The building, which also comprises an aluminium structure, showcases a permanent collection, temporary exhibitions and art from the local neighbourhood. LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND Rolex Learning Center Completed in 2010, the Rolex Learning Center is both architecture and landscape. Among its programmes are a learning laboratory, library, cultural spaces and is an international hub for the EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lusanne) where the Center is located. The building is open to the public. Its experimental architecture was conceived as a continuous, undulating structure spread over 22,000 sq m. The architects thought of it as one 'big room'. The rising parts of the wavy form create openings that allow people to walk underneath, harmonising it with the park despite its large mass. Inside, the raised portions are used as study spaces and the restaurant as they offer good views – some of the Alps. The building reinvents the conventional campus building and connects deeply with the surrounding landscape. SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA Sydney Modern Project Completed in 2022, the Sydney Modern Project is SANAA's first work in the continent. The A$344 million (S$286.77 million) project transforms the 151-year-old Art Gallery of the New South Wales into a "museum campus" with and old and a new building connected by an Art Garden. SANAA's contemporary building juxtaposes against the original gallery's 19th century neoclassical facade, and mitigates a potentially massive volume with a series of interlocking pavilions stepping down the sloped land. An environmental case study, this is the first public art museum in Australia to achieve the country's highest environmental standard for design, a 6-star Green Star design rating by the Green Building Council of Australia. Some highlights include a gallery dedicated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art in the modern extension, as well as an impressive underground exhibition space converted form a World War 2 naval fuel bunker called the Tank used for large-scale, site-specific commissions.
