The Golden Lion at the 17th Biennale of Architecture in Venice was awarded to Rafael Moneo

On Saturday, May 22, 2021, after a year of postponements, the doors of the 17th International Architecture Biennale in Venice will open. On this occasion, the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement will be awarded to Spanish architect Rafael Moneo at the ceremonial event. The laureate was actually announced already at the beginning of March, when the Golden Lion was posthumously awarded to the Italian-born Brazilian legend Lina Bo Bardi. The in memoriam award will continue to be an exception, having only occurred once before in 2010 when the award went to Japanese architect Kazuo Shinohara. A five-member jury chaired by Kazuyo Sejima will decide on the best exhibition, national pavilion, and young creators, and will publicly announce the holders of other Golden and Silver Lions on August 30, 2021.
Eighty-four-year-old Moneo has received numerous prestigious awards throughout his rich professional career, including the Pritzker Prize (1996), the RIBA Gold Medal (2003), the Prince of Asturias Award (2012), and the Praemium Imperiale (2017). Characterizing Moneo's work is not easy. His projects are not tied to a specific style or material. Early in his career, he was recognizable for his preference for heavy materials such as natural stone or exposed brick, but he soon expanded his repertoire to include metal structures and glass facades. He is often referred to as a master of pluralism. His expressive and material versatility is even more impressive. Moneo remains one of the most influential contemporary architects, sharing his experiences as a teacher, critic, and theorist. The chief curator of this year's biennale, Hashim Sarkis, who has been serving as the dean of MIT since 2015, collaborated with Moneo on the project for the war-damaged Souks commercial district in Beirut, Lebanon, which was completed in 2009.
The overarching theme of this year's Venice exhibition revolves around the question: “How will we live together?” The biennale will be open for viewing until November 21, 2021.

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