Jean Nouvel

Jean Nouvel is a French architect and designer, born in Fumel in 1945. He graduated in 1971 from the Paris High School of Fine Arts and worked as an assistant to the architect Claude Parent. After his apprenticeship, also inspired by the urban planner Paul Virilio, he opens his own architecture studio. Subsequently he became a founding member of Marzo 1976, a movement based on the opposition of architectural corporatism, and of the Architecture Union. His rather provocative views on contemporary architecture in the urban context, together with his ability to inject originality into all the projects he undertakes, have helped create his international image. His work has gained worldwide recognition through numerous prestigious awards such as, in 2008, that of the prestigious Pritzker Prize.