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Martha Thorne
Martha Thorne.jpg
Thorne in 2019
Born (1953-03-06) March 6, 1953 (age 72)
Nationality American
Alma mater State University of New York at Buffalo
University of Pennsylvania
Occupation Architect
Practice Pritzker Architecture Prize
The Art Institute of Chicago

Martha Thorne is an American expert in architecture. She is known for her work as a curator, editor, and author. She helps lead the Pritzker Architecture Prize, which is a very important award for architects. She also works as a dean at the architecture school at IE University in Madrid, Spain. Before these roles, she was a curator at The Art Institute of Chicago, a famous art museum.

About Martha Thorne

Martha Thorne was born in the United States on March 6, 1953. She is very interested in modern architecture from all over the world.

She studied at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where she earned a degree in Urban Affairs. This field looks at how cities work and grow. She also got a master's degree in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania. This degree is about designing and organizing cities. She continued her studies at the London School of Economics in England.

Her Career in Architecture

Since 2005, Martha Thorne has been the Executive Director of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. This award is often called the "Nobel Prize of architecture" because it honors the world's best architects.

From 1996 to 2005, she worked at The Art Institute of Chicago. There, she was an Associate Curator for the Department of Architecture. A curator is someone who helps organize art collections and exhibitions. Her job included creating publications and helping to build the museum's collection.

Martha Thorne has also been part of important groups that support architecture. She was on the board for the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. She also advised the International Archive of Women in Architecture. This group helps to preserve the history of women in architecture.

Today, she is on an international jury for the ArcVision: Women and Architecture award. This prize celebrates amazing women architects. She also gives talks and helps with architecture competitions around the world.

In 2015, she became the dean of the School of Architecture and Design at IE University. Before that, she was an Associate Dean at the same school.

Her Ideas and Work

Martha Thorne is very passionate about how architecture, design, and city planning can help make our world more sustainable. This means building things in a way that protects the environment for the future. She also cares about how architecture schools can teach students to solve today's challenges.

From 1995 to 2005, she worked as a curator at The Art Institute of Chicago. She has written many articles for books and magazines about modern architecture and cities.

Books and Exhibitions

Martha Thorne has been involved in many important books and exhibitions. Here are some of them:

  • 1992, Visiones para Madrid: cinco ideas arquitectónicas (Visions for Madrid: Five Architectural Ideas)
  • 1994, Museos y arquitectura : nuevas perspectivas (Museums and Architecture: New Perspectives)
  • 1999, The Pritzker Architecture Prize : the first twenty years
  • 2000, Rafael Moneo, Audrey Jones Beck Building, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
  • 2001, Modern trains and splendid stations: Architecture, design and rail travel for the twenty-first century
  • 2002, David Adler, architect : the elements of style
  • 2004, Unbuilt Chicago
  • 2006, Informe sobre el fomento de la arquitectura. Anexo (Report on the Promotion of Architecture. Appendix)
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