Jean Nouvel, in Context

“The Louvre is not in Paris. It’s in Abu Dhabi.” So said 2008 Pritzker Prize winning architect Jean Nouvel, Hon. FAIA, at the National Building Museum on June 3. Archiblogger Zach Mortice says he’s inclined to believe Nouvel: If anyone can figure out how to manage the geographic and cultural dislocation of applying the name of the world’s most famous museum to a place continents away, it’s probably Nouvel. The architect’s lecture (part of the Building Museum’s Spotlight on Design series) reaffirmed his status as a masterfully expressive contextualist whose buildings are nearly self-contained geographical, historical, and cultural lesson plans. Join Zach as he explores Nouvel’s work.

(Pictured is the Tour de Verre, under construction adjacent to MOMA in New York City. Graphics courtesy of Ateliers Jean Nouvel.)