Jennie Hirsch, Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art at Maryland Institute College of Art

Tadao Ando

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 1:30 PM EDT

HYBRID IN-PERSON AND ONLINE PROGRAM

This lecture examines the work of Japanese architect Tadao Ando, focusing on a selection of his renowned projects in tandem with both Eastern and Western influences on his work and life. In exploring a number of key projects by Ando, who is best known for his minimalist structures and renovations that feature natural materials, such as concrete and glass, we will consider the poetic effects of his subtle but potent means of harnessing natural elements, such as light, water, and wind. The meditative spaces in the U.S. Sites to be covered include the Pulitzer complex in St. Louis, the Stone Hill Center in Williamstown, and the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth. In Europe, we will study the Japanese Expo '92 pavilion in Seville as well as the museum spaces of the Pinault Foundation—Palazzo Grassi, Punta della Dogana, and Teatrino in Venice—the Bourse de Commerce in Paris, and a number of structures at Chateau La Coste, an amazing biodynamic vineyard that features incredible outdoor sculpture and architectural pavilions outside of Aix-en-Provence. And, in Ando's native Japan, we will analyze works such as the 21_21 Design Sight museum in Tokyo,  the Church of the Light in Osaka,  the Church on the Water in Hokkaido, the Hill of the Buddha in Sapporo, the subterranean Chichu Art Museum on Naoshima Island, and more.

$15 fee for guests and subscribers (no fee for members)

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