Glenn Murcutt

In honor of a silent but exceptional career the 2021 Praemium Imperiale was bestowed on Glenn Murcutt, one of the most intensively personal figures in contemporary architecture. Born in London in 1936, Murcutt spent his childhood in Papua New Guinea, studied architecture in Australia, and set up his practice in Sydney in 1969, initiating an oeuvre he has carried out single-handedly and by hand, fusing a fidelity to modernity with a respect for traditions, adapted to the climate of his adoptive country, and producing works like the Laurie Short House in Sydney, the Fredericks House in Jamberoo, and MPavilion 2019. In the 2021 edition of the Praemium Imperiale – given yearly since 1966, with a 115,000€ award, by the Imperial House of Japan and the Japan Art Association – Murcutt was accompanied by the Brazilian Sebastião Salgado for photogaphy, the American James Turrell for sculpture, and the Chinese-American violinist Yo-Yo Ma for music. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, several candidates in the performing arts section could not meet the requirements, so the category was done without altogether.