Architecture Powerhouse Steven Holl to Deliver 2013 Glimcher Lecture

“While artists work from the real to the abstract, architects must work from the abstract to the real.”—Steven Holl, Brooklyn Rail 

“A tactile relationship with architecture, a love of glimmering color, a contemplative sensibility…these qualities characterize Holl’s work more than any stylistic habit or signature move.”—Architect Magazine

Columbus, OH—Steven Holl will deliver the 2013 Glimcher Lecture on Wednesday, September 25 at 7 pm in Mershon Auditorium, 1871 N. High St. For the free public talk, Holl will discuss his ideas about architecture and design, as well as his own practice, which includes startling and significant additions to existing buildings, such as the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and inventive designs for new buildings around the world. His recent projects include a sports complex for Columbia University (where Holl has taught more than 30 years), and the Nanjing Sifang Art Museum in China. Earlier this year, it was announced that Holl would design a 65,000-square-foot, $100 million addition to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. The initial concept for the project incudes three connected pavilions—one floating on the Potomac River and featuring an outdoor stage—that will house educational and rehearsal space, offices and events and dining space.

ASL interpretation will be provided at Holl’s Glimcher Lecture, which is cosponsored by Ohio State’s Knowlton School of Architecture.

Notes Wexner Center Director Sherri Geldin, “Steven Holl is among the leading architects of his generation, with a keen aptitude for design innovation, a vigorous appetite for special complexity, and an abiding appreciation for the distinctive character of site and the magical properties of light. He is the creative force behind such stunning works as the Bloch Building at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and the Linked Hybrid complex in Beijing, among other marvels. We’re thrilled to bring him to campus and to Columbus.”

Holl in 1976 established Steven Holl Architects, a 40-person architecture and urban design office with locations in New York and Beijing. Considered one of America's most important architects, Holl is recognized for his ability to blend space and light with great contextual sensitivity and to utilize the unique qualities of each project to create a concept-driven design. He specializes in seamlessly integrating new projects into contexts with particular cultural and historic importance. Holl’s honors include in 2012 earning the American Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal, the organization’s highest honor given in “recognition of a significant body of work of lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture.” He also received the Royal Institute of British Architects Jencks Award (2010), the first-ever Arts Award of the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards (2009), the National Design Award in Architecture from the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum (2002), and, in 2001, the French Grande Medaille d'Or for Best Architect of the Academy of Architecture (2001). Also in 2001, Time magazine declared Holl "America's Best Architect" for his 'buildings that satisfy the spirit as well as the eye.’ Steven Holl is a tenured professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture and Planning. Find out more at http://www.stevenholl.com.

This lecture is presented with support from the Glimcher Program Fund, which supports presentations by distinguished speakers in the fields of art, architecture, and design. The fund was created through the generosity of the Columbus-based Glimcher family to provide lasting opportunities for Wexner Center patrons to further enhance their understanding of the art and architecture of our time. Past lectures have been given by Elizabeth Diller, Zaha Hadid, Walter Hood, Petra Blaisse, Thom Mayne, Bruce Mau, Alex McDowell, and David Adjaye.