David Chipperfield has been announced as the architectural laureate for the 2013 edition of the Japan Art Association’s Praemium Imperiale. Since its inauguration in 1989, the annual global arts award has recognized “outstanding contributions to the development, promotion and progress of the arts” in the fields of architecture, painting, sculpture, music and theater/film. Only a small handful of architects have received this award, including James Stirling, Tadao Ando, Alvaro Siza, Richard Rogers, Jean Nouvel and Toyo Ito.
In regards to Chipperfield’s nomination, the jury stated:
“David Chipperfield's architecture represents a more modest, thoughtful art form than many of his modernist predecessors. In his work, he attaches great importance to creating a dialogue with the intended site and then functionally connects the context of its history and culture to modern architecture. With an unerring eye for elegant diffuse and natural lighting, his designs reveal a building's essential quality in a graceful and quiet atmosphere.”
Influenced by Japanese architecture at the start of his career, Chipperfield’s work often reflects the notion of “a borrowed view” - where the external, natural landscape becomes framed and integral to the interior space. This concept is revealed in his most prominent works, including the twelve-year reconstruction of the Neues Museum in Berlin and the recent Hepworth Wakefield gallery in England.
Reference: Japan Art Association
