<p>Christian de Portzamparc won the Praemium Imperiale 2018</p>

On Wednesday, July 11, the holders of the highest artistic award given by the Japan Art Association were announced. In the field of architecture, this year the French architect and urban planner of Moroccan roots, Christian de Portzamparc, was honored, who was also the first French recipient of the Pritzker Prize. Other holders of the thirtieth edition of the highest Japanese artistic award (associated with a financial reward of 15 million yen / 3 million crowns) included Pierre Alechinsky (painting), Fujiko Nakaya (sculpture), Riccardo Muti (music), and Catherine Deneuve (theater/film).
Christian de Portzamparc was born in Casablanca, Morocco, but since studying at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, his life has been tied to Paris, where he still runs his studio. In the late 1960s, he was one of the leaders of the student protests. More than with engineers, he collaborated with sociologists studying neighborhood life in Paris and the impact of buildings on residents' mental well-being. In 1980, he collaborated with Paolo Portoghesi on the first architectural biennale in Venice. In 1989, he received the Order of Arts and Letters from the French Minister of Culture. Currently, in addition to European projects, Portzamparc's office is also involved in realizations in South Korea, China, Brazil, the USA, and his native Morocco.
The awards will be presented to all this year's laureates at a ceremonial evening on October 23, 2018, in Tokyo by Prince Hitachi, brother of Emperor Akihito.