Frank Gehry has been bestowed with Spain's prestigious Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts. The Canadian-American architect was chosen as the award's 34th laureate “for the relevance and impact of his creations in numerous countries, via which he has defined and furthered architecture in the past half century.”
“His buildings are characterized by a virtuoso play of complex shapes, the use of unusual materials, such as titanium, and their technological innovation, which has also had an impact on other arts,” stated the jury. “An example of this open, playful and organic style of architecture is the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, which, in addition to its architectural and aesthetic excellence, has had an enormous economic, social and urban impact on its surroundings as a whole.”
More information about Gehry's selection, after the break...
Since 1981, the Prince of Asturias Awards have been presented to an individual, institution or group of individuals or institutions whose work in Cinematography, Theatre, Dance, Music, Photography, Painting, Sculpture, Architecture or any other form of artistic expression constitutes a significant contribution to mankind’s culture heritage.
Gehry will be endowed with 50,000 Euro prize ($65,000), a commissioned sculpture donated by Joan Miró, a diploma and an insignia. The awards will be presented in the autumn in Oviedo at a grand ceremony chaired by H.R.H. the Prince of Asturias.
He is now the seventh architect to receive this award in the Arts category, after Oscar Niemeyer (1989), Roberto Matta (1992), Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oiza (1993), Santiago Calatrava (1999), Norman Foster (2009) and Rafael Moneo (2012).
Reference: Plataforma Arquitectura, FPA
