* Original Author: Xie Xiaofan, Vice President of the China National Academy of Painting. Xie collaborated with Arata Isozaki to build the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) Art Museum and has curated a series of large-scale exhibitions. Xie is the author of "Exhibiting the Art Museum" and "Discerning Forms: Walking Between Art and Construction", led the drafting of the state-issued "National Standards for Art Museum Construction," and previously oversaw the construction of the new National Art Museum of China.
*This article is published with the authorization of Xie Xiaofan.
At 23:30 on March 5, upon receiving the first news of Arata Isozaki winning the prize, I immediately sent the following message to Hu Qian: "It would be incredibly badass if Old Iso immediately declined the Pritzker. Tell him my thoughts right away. The Pritzker is about celebrity and fashion; Old Iso is a literati avant-garde." As the person who turned Isozaki’s ideas and drawings into physical architecture, and as someone who has bickered and fought alongside Hu Qian, this was my immediate, gut-reaction response.
Arata Isozaki was the architect of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) Art Museum, and I served as the client representative. The ultimate decision-maker was Pan Gongkai, driven by a determination that ran deep in his bones. In the face of all opposition to this project, he absorbed it all; whether choosing Isozaki or choosing me, he never wavered. Thus, seeing the 88-year-old Old Iso win the award in his prime cannot help but remind me of how the 72-year-old Old Pan executed the project with the relentless energy of youth.
