Richard Meier

Richard Meier

Architect

Richard Meier is one of the foremost contemporary American architects. In 1984 at the age of 49, Meier was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize, often referred to as the Nobel of architecture. He was the youngest architect to receive the profession's highest accolade. Meier is known for resisting trend-based designs, instead developing his own design philosophy rooted in rationalism and noted for its use of the color white. His designs can be seen as Neo-Corbusian, referencing the famous French architect's early phase in particular. Meier has also named Frank Lloyd Wright as another major influence. Perhaps his most famous design is The Getty Center, a Los Angeles art museum funded by the J. Paul Getty trust. Meier was born in Newark, New Jersey, and educated at Cornell University.

2 min
Architecture, Meier says, is the greatest of the arts.
4 min
The computer has enabled certain kinds of drawings and certain kinds of forms to evolve that were not conceivable in terms of making architecture when things were drawn.
2 min
Meier decided on his profession at 14.
2 min
Richard Meier discusses the work of Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright.
3 min
Richard Meier cannot think up a new explanation for his use of white.