Who are the architectural greats? Richard Meier | Big Think

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Richard Meier discusses the work of Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright.

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Richard Meier:

Richard Meier is one of the foremost contemporary American architects. In 1984 at the age of 49, Meier was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize, often referred to as the Nobel of architecture. He was the youngest architect to receive the profession's highest accolade. Meier is known for resisting trend-based designs, instead developing his own design philosophy rooted in rationalism and noted for its use of the color white. His designs can be seen as Neo-Corbusian, referencing the famous French architect's early phase in particular. Meier has also named Frank Lloyd Wright as another major influence. Perhaps his most famous design is The Getty Center, a Los Angeles art museum funded by the J. Paul Getty trust. Meier was born in Newark, New Jersey, and educated at Cornell University.

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TRANSCRIPT:

Question: What architects have influenced you most?

Richard Meier: The first things probably were publications which I saw in popular magazines of houses of Frank Lloyd Wright. I’m sure that was . . . that . . . that was the first thing that sort of caught my eye and made me interested in architecture. Le Corbusier was probably one of the greatest architects of the 20th century. His work is extraordinary. And as a young architect, as a student of architecture, Le Corbusier was extremely important to me in understanding certain aspects about architecture. After I graduated from architecture school, I traveled and visited almost all of Le Corbusier’s work, except for maybe . . . except . . . no . . . except somewhere. At any rate, his influence was very important to me as a young person. ____________ life is probably ____________.