Eduardo Souto de Moura, a 58 year old architect from Portugal, is the jury’s choice for the 2011 Pritzker Architecture Prize, it was announced by Thomas J. Pritzker, chairman of The Hyatt Foundation which sponsors the prize. The formal ceremony for what has come to be known throughout the world as architecture’s highest honor will be in
one of Washington, D.C.’s finest classical buildings, the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on June 2.
In announcing the jury’s choice, Pritzker elaborated, “This marks the second time in
the history of the prize that a Portuguese architect has been chosen. The first was in 1992 when Alvaro Siza was so honored.”
The purpose of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, which was founded in 1979 by the late
Jay A. Pritzker and his wife, Cindy, is to honor annually a living architect whose built work
demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has
produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture.
The laureates receive a $100,000 grant and a bronze medallion.
