Isozaki, Arata

Isozaki, Arata (ärä`tä ē'sōzä`kē), 1931–, Japanese architect, b. Oita. One of his nation's most important contemporary architects, he has an international reputation and has designed notable buildings in Asia, Europe, and the United States. He worked for Kenzo Tange (1954–63) before opening his own firm in 1963. Isozaki's works combine a traditional Japanese sensibility with Western postmodernism, wittily employing complex asymmetrical forms, innovatively juxtaposed materials, eclectic formal borrowings from past styles, and technologically sophisticated details. Among his many buildings are the Oita Prefectural Library, Oita, Japan (1966); the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (1986); the New Tokyo City Hall (1986); Team Disney, Orlando, Fla. (1990); the Kyoto Concert Hall (1995); and the Center of Science and Industry, Columbus, Ohio (1999).

Bibliography

See P. Drew, The Architecture of Arata Isozaki (1982); D. B. Stewart and H. Yatsuka, Arata Isozaki: Architecture 1960–1990 (1991).