Jean Nouvel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jean Nouvel
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Nouvel in 2009
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| Born | 12 August 1945 Fumel, Lot-et-Garonne, France
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| Alma mater | École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Awards | Aga Khan Award for Architecture (Arab World Institute), Pritzker Prize, Wolf Prize in Arts, Praemium Imperiale |
| Practice | Ateliers Jean Nouvel |
| Buildings | Arab World Institute, Paris, Culture and Congress Centre, Lucerne, Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, Torre Agbar, Barcelona, Musée du quai Branly, Paris, Fondation Cartier, Paris, Philharmonie, Paris Louvre, Abu Dhabi |
Jean Nouvel (born August 12, 1945) is a famous French architect. He is known for designing many unique buildings around the world. Jean Nouvel studied architecture in Paris. He also helped start important groups for architects in France. Throughout his career, he has won many top awards. These include the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and the Pritzker Prize. His work has been shown in museums and art centers.
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Early Life and Education
Jean Nouvel was born in Fumel, France, on August 12, 1945. His parents, Renée and Roger Nouvel, were both teachers. Because his father became a school superintendent, his family moved often.
His parents wanted him to study math or languages. But when he was 16, an art teacher inspired him to draw. They agreed he could study architecture. They thought it was a safer career choice than being an artist.
Nouvel first tried to get into an art school in Bordeaux but did not pass. So, he moved to Paris. There, he won a national competition to study at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts. From 1967 to 1970, he worked as an assistant to architects Claude Parent and Paul Virilio. After just one year, he became a project manager for a large apartment building.
Jean Nouvel has two sons, Bertrand and Pierre, with filmmaker Odile Fillion. He also has a daughter, Sarah, with his second wife, Catherine Richard. His third wife, Lida Guan, is also an architect.
His Architectural Work
By the age of 25, Jean Nouvel finished school and started his own architecture firm with François Seigneur. Early in his career, he became a key voice in architecture discussions in France. In 1976, he helped create the Mars 1976 movement. This group pushed back against big corporations in architecture. A year later, he helped start the first labor union for architects in France.
For 15 years, he designed exhibits for the Biennale de Paris. This helped him meet many people in the arts and theater. Nouvel also helped organize a competition to redesign the Les Halles area in Paris in 1977. In 1980, he started the first architecture biennale in Paris.
In 1981, Nouvel and another firm won a competition to design the Institut du Monde Arabe (Arab World Institute) in Paris. This building was finished in 1987 and made Nouvel famous worldwide. Its south wall has special mechanical lenses. These lenses look like traditional Arabic latticework. They open and close automatically to control the light inside. This happens as their special cells react to outside light.
Nouvel worked with different partners between 1972 and 1984. In 1985, he started Jean Nouvel et Associés. Then, in 1994, he founded Ateliers Jean Nouvel, which is his current company. It is one of the biggest architecture firms in France. It has 140 employees in Paris and offices in other cities like Rome and Madrid. The company is currently working on many projects in different countries.
Besides buildings, Nouvel has also designed products and furniture. He designed cutlery for Georg Jensen in 2005. He also created a special bottle for a perfume in 2008. In 2012, he designed the So So furniture collection.
Winning the Pritzker Prize
In 2008, Jean Nouvel received the Pritzker Prize. This is the highest award an architect can get. He won it for his work on over 200 projects. Some of his famous buildings include the Arab World Institute with its unique shutters. There is also the colorful, bullet-shaped Torre Agbar in Barcelona. The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis has a strong design with a bridge that sticks out. In Paris, he designed the Musée du quai Branly and the Philharmonie de Paris.
Other important works by Nouvel include the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art (1994). He also designed the Culture and Convention Center in Lucerne (2000). The Opéra Nouvel in Lyon (1993) and the Expo 2002 in Switzerland are also his designs. He also designed the Copenhagen Concert Hall and the courthouse in Nantes (2000).
The Pritzker Prize jury praised Nouvel. They said he bravely looked for new ideas. He also challenged old ways of thinking to push the limits of architecture. The jury noted his "persistence, imagination, and a strong desire for creative experiments."
His Architectural Style
Jean Nouvel's style is very unique. He tries to make each building fit perfectly with its surroundings. He believes that architecture should be alive and always moving forward. He uses new ideas and learns from the past.
Nouvel once said that "the future of architecture is no longer architectural." He meant that architecture should not be a closed-off field. Instead, it should get ideas from other areas of culture. He is influenced by movies and modern philosophy. His buildings often blur lines and create a poetic feeling. Examples include the winking shutters of the Arab World Institute. Another is the tree-filled design of the Cartier Foundation. The Louvre Abu Dhabi has a special dome that filters light like rain.
Critics and fans have noted that his work does not have one single look. The New York Times said his buildings lack a "common sensibility." Nouvel is proud of this. He explains that he is like a filmmaker who makes movies on many different topics. He works in different cities with different people. He believes that reducing style to just one look is a narrow way of thinking.
Notable Projects
Jean Nouvel has designed many important buildings around the world. Here are some of his most famous works:
Completed Works
- 1987 – Nemausus 1 (Housing), Nîmes, France
- 1987 – Arab World Institute, Paris, France
- 1994 – Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain, Paris, France
- 1995 – Euralille, Lille, France
- 2000 – Culture and Convention Center, Lucerne, Switzerland
- 2000 – Palais de Justice, Nantes, France
- 2001 – Golden Angel (Zlatý Anděl), Prague, Czech Republic
- 2002 – Monolith of Expo.02, Murten, Switzerland
- 2004 – Torre Agbar, Barcelona, Spain
- 2004 – Museum Two, Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
- 2005 – Reina Sofía Museum expansion, Madrid, Spain
- 2006 – Musée du quai Branly, Paris, France
- 2006 – Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- 2009 – Copenhagen Concert Hall, Copenhagen, Denmark
- 2010 – 100 Eleventh Avenue, Manhattan, NY, USA
- 2010 – Serpentine Gallery temporary pavilion, London
- 2010 – One New Change, London
- 2011 – Tower 25 in Nicosia, Cyprus
- 2012 – Doha Tower skyscraper, Doha, Qatar
- 2012 – City Hall, Montpellier, France
- 2015 – Philharmonie de Paris, Paris, France
- 2015 – Tour Bleue, Charleroi, Belgium
- 2016 – Le Nouvel Residences, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- 2017 – Louvre Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- 2018 – La Marseillaise, Marseille, France
- 2019 – National Museum of Qatar, Doha, Qatar
- 2020 – Stelios Ioannou Learning Resource Center for the University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
- 2022 – Cidade Matarazzo Rosewood Hotel, São Paulo, Brazil
Projects Under Construction
- The Sharaan resort in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is being built. It will be carved into a sandstone hill in the AlUla desert.
- The Central Park project in Sydney includes 11 new buildings. Nouvel's 120-meter One Central Park is his first project in Australia. It features a mirror hanging over the central square.
- In November 2006, Nouvel was asked to build an 82-story tower in Midtown Manhattan. This supertall tower, called 53W53, was completed in 2018. It contains luxury apartments. Three floors are used by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) for exhibitions. At 1,050 feet tall, it is one of New York City's tallest buildings.
Proposed Projects
- Nouvel is one of the architects designing the new Slussen in Stockholm, Sweden.
- In February 2008, Nouvel agreed to design a 45-story luxury condo tower in Los Angeles. This modern tower is designed to offer great views.
Awards and Honors
Jean Nouvel and his buildings have received many awards. Here are some of the most important ones:
Individual Awards
- Honorary degrees from the University of Buenos Aires (1983).
- Honorary degrees from the Royal College of Art, London (2002).
- Honorary degrees from the University of Naples (2002).
- Honorary member of the American Institute of Architects (1993).
- Honorary member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (1995).
- In 1997, Nouvel was named a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters. He first joined this order in 1983. He is also a Knight of the Legion of Honor.
- 2005 – Wolf Prize in Arts
- 2008 – Pritzker Prize
Awards for Projects
- 1989 Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the Institut du Monde Arabe. This building also won the Équerre d'Argent in 1987. This award is given yearly to the best building in France.
- 2010 Wallpaper* Magazine Design Award for the Copenhagen Concert Hall.
See also
In Spanish: Jean Nouvel para niños
