Glenn Murcutt, 2021 Praemium Imperiale laureate for architecture

Australian architect Glenn Murcutt has been named the 2021 Praemium Imperiale laureate for architecture by the Japan Art Association. Announcing the achievement, the Japan Art Association described Murcutt as “an architect ahead of his time; an architect who has spent his career creating modest, environmentally responsible buildings rooted in the climate and tradition of his native Australia.”

The Praemium Imperiale is a global arts prize awarded annually by the Japan Art Association. Since its inauguration in 1988, it has become a mark of the arts. Six nomination committees, each chaired by an International Advisor, propose candidates in five fields: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Music and Theatre/Film.

Last year's awards were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The last architects awarded fueron Tod Williams and Billie Tsien in 2019.

Glenn Murcutt retrato, fotografía por Anthony Browell

“The Praemium Imperiale is a wonderful cultural gift to the arts, internationally. Being a 2021 recipient took me by complete surprise. It is simply wonderful for me, but especially for the profession of architecture in Australia. Even at 85, such an award encourages me to continue working for as long as I am able.”

Murcutt commented on his selection.

Murcutt entered private practice in 1969 and completed his first work in 1972, the Douglas Murcutt House in Belrose. He has since become one of Australia’s most acclaimed architects, with notable projects including the Arthur and Yvonne Boyd Education Center in 1999, the Australian Islamic Center in 2016, and the MPavilion in 2019.

“Echoing the Aboriginal phrase, 'Touch the land lightly,' his architecture has a poetic beauty and lightness, in harmony with nature while at the same time, allowing the rationality of modernist architecture and ecological wisdom to shine through,” said the Japan Art Association in its citation.

“Not only does he work without staff, he also primarily works without computers, preferring to draw by hand, finding solutions to design issues instinctively. As he says, he is not a creator but a discoverer, adding, that every great building is already there but to be discovered. It is not created.”

The Praemium Imperiale is the latest of Murcutt’s many awards and honors. He was the first Australian architect to be awarded the Pritzker Prize (2002), and the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal (2009). In 1992, he was awarded the Alvar Aalto Medal and the RAIA Gold Medal, while in 1995, he was awarded an AIA Honorary Fellowship and a RIBA International Fellowship. In 2020, Murcutt was appointed an Honorary Professor at the University of New South Wales.

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MPavilion 2019 in Melbourne by Glenn Murcutt. Photograph by John Gollings

Skecth. MPavilion 2019 designed by Glenn Murcutt

Boyd Centre, Riversdale Sth Coast NSW by Glenn Murcutt. Photograph by AnthonyBrowell

Mange House, Bingie Bingie Sth NSW by Glenn Murcutt. Photograph by AnthonyBrowell

Short House, Nth Coast NSW by Glenn Murcutt. Photograph by AnthonyBrowell

Australian Islamic Centre, detail of coloured daylight through roof lanterns. Photograph © Anthony Browell

Australian Islamic Centre, 2016 Melbourne, Australia. Photograph by Anthony Browell

Donaldson House, Palm Beach Peninsula NSW by Glenn Murcutt. Photograph by AnthonyBrowell

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More information

Glenn Murcutt

Glenn Murcutt AO is one of Australia’s most respected architects. He has received twenty-five Australian architecture awards, including the RAIA Gold Medal, and international awards such as the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize; Alvar Aalto Medal (Finland); Richard Neutra Award (United States); ‘Green Pin’ International Award for Architecture and Ecology (Denmark); and the Asia Pacific Culture and Architecture Design Award.

Murcutt was born in London, to Australian parents, in 1936. He grew up in the Morobe district of New Guinea, where he developed an appreciation for simple, primitive architecture. After graduating in 1961 with a degree in architecture from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Murcutt travelled for two years before returning to Sydney to work in the office of Ancher, Mortlock, Murray and Woolley. He remained with this firm for five years before establishing his own practice in 1970.

Murcutt’s small but exemplary practice is well known for its environmentally sensitive designs with a distinctive Australian character. His buildings, which are principally residential, are a blend of modernist sensibility, local craftsmanship and respect for nature.

Published on: September 14, 2021

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