Jean Nouvel

Jean Nouvel is a French architect and designer, born in Fumel in 1945. He graduated from the Ecole Supérieure de Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1971 and worked as an assistant to architect Claude Parent. After his apprenticeship, also inspired by the urbanist Paul Virilio, he opened his own architecture studio. He later became a founding member of March 1976, a movement marked by the opposition of architectural corporatism, and of the Architecture Syndicate. His rather provocative views on contemporary architecture in the urban context, together with his ability to incorporate originality into all the projects he undertakes, have contributed to his international image. His work has gained worldwide recognition through numerous prestigious awards such as the Pritzker Prize in 2008.