Okinawa, Japan
Pritzker Prize-winning architect Arata Isozaki passed away on December 28, 2022, at the age of 91, after a life-long career that spanned six decades and the entire globe.
After graduating in Tokyo in 1954, Isozaki began an apprenticeship for one of the fathers of Japanese Metabolism, Kenzo Tange.
In 1963, he established his own firm in Japan and in 2005, founded the Italian branch of his architectural office, Arata Isozaki & Andrea Maffei Associates.
His life-long career includes the design of over 100 buildings in six decades.
His practice was avant-garde and transnational from the start, helping to create a dialogue between East and West.
Known for his forward-thinking designs, rooted in clear forms and geometries, his practice achieved a balance between a sense of global universality and local context.
His buildings go beyond the clear influences of brutalism and metabolism, responding to the needs and influences of their local environments.
In addition to designing many prominent structures in Japan, he also realized projects in Europe, North America, the Middle East, and China.
Some of his most notable buildings include the iconic Art Tower, the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), and the Ark Nova, an inflatable performance venue designed together with artist Anish Kapoor.
In addition to winning the Pritzker Prize in 2019, he won the RIBA Gold Medal in 1986 and the Leone d’Oro at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 1996.
He was described by the Pritzker Prize jury as “a versatile, influential, and truly international architect.”