BIOGRAPHY

Tadao Ando was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1941. A self-educated architect with roots in Osaka, he spent time in nearby Kyoto and Nara, studying first-hand the great monuments of traditional Japanese architecture. Between 1962 and 1969 he traveled to the United States, Europe, and Africa, learning about Western architecture, history, and techniques. His studies of both traditional Japanese and modern architecture had a profound influence on his work and resulted in a unique blend of these rich traditions. In 1969, Ando established Tadao Ando Architect and Associates in Osaka. He is an honorary fellow in the architecture academies of six countries; he has been a visiting professor at Yale, Columbia, and Harvard Universities; and in 1997, he became Professor of Architecture at Tokyo University. Ando has received numerous architecture awards, including the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1995, the 2002 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal, and this June was named recipient of the  Kyoto Prize for lifetime achievement in the arts and philosophy. His buildings can be seen in Japan, Europe, the United States, and India.

In fall 2001, Tadao Ando was selected to develop an architectural master plan for the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, expanding its buildings and enhancing its 140-acre campus.

Light is the origin of all beings. Light gives, with each moment, new being and new interrelationships to things, and architecture condenses light to its most concise being. The creation of space in architecture is simply the condensation and purification of the power of light.

— Tardo Ando