London's Design Museum is currently showing David Chipperfield – Form Matters. Chipperfield, one of the UK’s most innovative architects, is highly regarded for his simple, yet functional buildings.
David Chipperfield – Form Matters
David Chipperfield's entire career will be examined by a major exhibition, the first to be held in the UK. The show will survey various projects through new and archive models, drawings, sketches, film and photographs.
Chipperfield's Projects at Home and Abroad
Chipperfield has been involved with a number of highly acclaimed projects including the the America's Cup Building and the Museum of Modern Literature in Marbach, Germany. Both were short listed for the RIBA Stirling Prize for Architecture 2007, with the Museum of Modern Literature taking the prize.
Other major commissions include the River and Rowing Museum in Henley-on-Thames, the Hepworth Wakefield Gallery, (both in the UK) as well as the reconstruction of the Neues Museum in Berlin.
Neues Museum, Berlin
The reconstruction of the Neues Museum is probably Chipperfield's most complicated commission so far. The Museum was severely damaged during World War II and then suffered years of neglect. The ten-year project is unprecedented in architectural history and establishes new standards for museum architecture across Europe. The Neues Museum opened to the public on 16th October 2009.
Chipperfield's Current Projects
Chipperfield is currently involved in a number of residential, commercial and cultural projects including the James Simon Gallery – the New Entrance Building for the Museum Island in Berlin, the Turner Contemporary in Margate (UK) and the Saint Louis Art Museum.
Chipperfield does not restrict his activities to museum architecture. He is also involved with the construction of new courtyards and a chapel at the San Michele Cemetery Island, Venice's main cemetery. The project also includes the construction of a new island, next to the existing cemetery island, which will features a series of new gardens at water level.
David Chipperfield – A Short Biography
Chipperfield was born in London in 1953 and studied at Kingston University and the Architectural Association. After working for three of the UK’s most important practices, Douglas Stephen, Richard Rogers and Norman Foster, he established his own firm in 1984.
Over the last 25 years David Chipperfield Architects has become internationally renowned with more than 150 staff located in London, Berlin, Milan and Shanghai. Chipperfield has been associated with projects across Europe as well as in Mexico, the USA, Japan and China.
CBE for David Chipperfield
David Chipperfield has received numerous prizes and awards including the Tessenow Gold Medal in 1999. In 2004 he was made Honorary Member of the Florence Academy of Art and Design, and in the same year, was honoured with a CBE for services to architecture.
David Chipperfield – Form Matters will be showing at the Design Museum, Shad Thames, London SE1 2YD until 31st January 2010. The exhibition is open daily from 10.00 a.m. – 17.45 p.m. and further details can be obtained from the Design Museum. Telephone: +44 (0) 870 833 9955.
Frances Spiegel - Frances Spiegel, B.A. Hons. (Open)., Dip.Eur.Hum., read Art History/European Modern History at the Open University.
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