Richard Meier

Born 1934

Richard Meier (born October 12, 1934 in Newark, New Jersey) is a late twentieth century American architect known for his use of the color white. He achieved a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University in 1957, worked for SOM (Skidmore, Owings and Merrill) briefly in 1959, then for Marcel Breuer for three years before starting his own practice in 1963. Identified as one of The New York Five in 1972, his commission of the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California catapulted his popularity.

In 1984, Meier was awarded the Pritzker Prize. He also consulted on the design of several buildings that appear in the 2003 city building computer game SimCity 4 making him perhaps the first professional architect ever commissioned to participate in building design for a computer game.

Meier has two children - a son and a daughter. His oldest son, Joseph Meier attended The Dalton School and Yale University where he was a member of the secret Manuscript Society. His daughter, Ana Meier attended the Nightingale-Bamford School and Harvard University.

Select Timeline

Select Exhibitions

Select Works

• Ara Pacis Museum, Rome, Italy, 2006
• ECM City Tower, Prague, Czech republic, 2004-2007
• San Jose City Hall, San Jose, California, 2004-2007
• Life Sciences Technology Building, Ithaca, New York, scheduled completion 2007
• Frieder Burda Museum, Baden Baden, Germany, 2004
• Jubilee Church, Rome, Italy 2003
• Sandra Day O'Connor United States Courthouse, Phoenix, Arizona, 2000
• Camden Medical Centre, Singapore, 1998
• Getty Center, Los Angeles, California, 1997
• Rachofsky House, Dallas, Texas, 1996
• Museum of Television & Radio, Beverly Hills, California, 1996
• Edinburgh Park masterplan, 1995
• Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, Barcelona, Spain, 1995
• City Hall and Central Library, The Hague, The Netherlands, 1995
• Stadthaus, Ulm, Germany, 1994
• Daimler-Benz Forschungszentrum, today: DaimlerChrysler Forschungszentrum, Ulm, Germany, 1992
• Modern Art Wing Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, Iowa, 1984
• High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia, 1983
• The Atheneum, New Harmony, Indiana, 1979
• Bronx Developmental Center, The Bronx, New York, 1976
• Douglas House, Harbor Springs, Michigan, 1973
• Smith House, Darien, Connecticut, 1965-1967

Quotes

• "As there hasn't been any new modern architecture built in the historic center of Rome since Mussolini's time I think the Ara Pacis Museum became a lightening rod for issues that were not directly related to the building itself."
• "It is a very significant project for the city that will demonstrate Rome's ability to move into the 21st century so people should care deeply about it."
• "Wood floors give it a warmth that works well with the openness and transparency of the units, the way in which the wood extends out to the balcony. It gives it a continuity of surface, and people can then put down carpet or rugs or whatever they want."
• "It's of a scale that not many people have done."
• "When I think of a place of worship, I think of a place where one can sit and be reminded of all the things that are important outside our individual lives. To express spirituality, the architect has to think of the original material of architecture, space and light."

Publications

• Richard Meier Architect, Vol. 3 (1992-1998) (Vol 3) - by Richard Meier (Author), Kenneth Frampton (Author), Joseph Rykwert, Rizzoli International Publications (June 12, 1999)
• Richard Meier: Houses - by Richard Meier (Author), Paul Goldberger, Rizzoli International Publications (September 15, 1996)
• Richard Meier Architect - by Richard Meier, Monacelli (June 22, 2000)

Quick Facts

• Richard Meier is a late twentieth century American architect known for his use of the purist white.
• Meier is an architect who has used a lot of selected architectural ideas from masters of the early- and mid-20th century.
• In 1984, At 49, Richard Meier was the youngest architect to receive his profession's highest accolade the Pritzker Prize.
• Meier is the one architect who has probably built more using Corbusier's ideas than anyone, including Le Corbusier himself.
• In addition to the High Museum, he has designed a major museum for Frankfurt, Germany, an addition to the Des Moines Art Center in Iowa, as well as many other types of commissions around the world.

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