Richard Meier Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Richard Meier
Meier in 2009
Born	(1934-10-12) October 12, 1934 (age 90) Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma mater	Cornell University
Occupation	Architect
Awards	Pritzker Prize (1984) AIA Gold Medal (1997)

Practice	Richard Meier & Partners
Buildings	Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art City Hall and Central Library, The Hague Getty Center, Los Angeles High Museum of Art, Atlanta

Richard Meier (born October 12, 1934) is a famous American architect and artist. He is known for his unique building designs that often use geometric shapes and are mostly white.

Meier won the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1984, which is like a Nobel Prize for architecture. He has designed many well-known buildings around the world. Some of his most famous works include the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, the Getty Center in Los Angeles, and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

Early Life and Learning
Designing Buildings
- Famous Projects
- Meier's Style
Awards and Recognition
Key Buildings by Richard Meier
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Learning

Richard Meier was born in Newark, New Jersey. He grew up in a nearby town called Maplewood. He went to Columbia High School.

After high school, he studied architecture at Cornell University. He earned his degree in 1957. After graduating, Meier traveled to many countries. He visited places like Israel, Greece, Germany, and Italy. This travel helped him meet other architects and get new ideas.

Designing Buildings

Richard Meier in 1986

In 1963, Richard Meier started his own architecture firm in New York City. Before that, he worked for other architects for a few years.

In the 1970s, Meier became part of a group called "The New York Five." These were five architects who shared similar ideas about modern design. Meier often worked with artists and liked to design buildings that were white and had clear, geometric shapes.

Some of his first important designs were for houses. He also designed The Atheneum, a visitor center in Indiana, which was finished in 1979. Another early success was the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, completed in 1983.

Famous Projects

The Getty Center

Richard Meier became even more famous for his design of the Getty Center in Los Angeles. This large museum complex was finished in 1997. It brought him a lot of attention.

He also designed other important buildings during this time. These include the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art in Spain (1995) and the Paley Center for Media in California (1996). He designed city halls too, like The Hague City Hall in the Netherlands (1995) and San Jose City Hall (2005).

Meier's firm, Richard Meier & Partners Architects, has offices in New York and Los Angeles. They have worked on projects all over the world, from China to Paris.

Meier's Style

Meier's work is inspired by architects from the early to mid-1900s. He especially learned from the ideas of Le Corbusier, a famous architect known for his modern designs. Many people say Meier has used Le Corbusier's ideas more than anyone else.

Meier's buildings often use white color. White has been used in many famous buildings throughout history. You can see it in cathedrals and in the white villages of the Mediterranean region.

Awards and Recognition

The Getty Center, a major work by Richard Meier

In 1984, Richard Meier received the Pritzker Prize. The judges said that he created buildings that were "personal, vigorous, original." This was a huge honor for him.

He has won many other awards too. In 1997, he received the AIA Gold Medal. In 2013, he got the A+ Lifetime Achievement Award. These awards celebrate his long and successful career in architecture.

In 2014, Meier opened a special exhibition space in Jersey City. This space shows many of his life's works. It includes his sculptures, architectural drawings, and collages. It also has a research library for people to learn more about his work.