Before Zaha Hadid completed her first built work, the Vitra Fire Station in Weil am Rhein, Germany, in 1994, she was largely considered to be a paper architect – but one whose paintings, with their magnificent treatment of scale, geometry and landscape, established her as an artistic force to be reckoned with.

Toned with influences from Russian Suprematism, futurism and deconstructivism, the pieces still stand alone today as testament to a giant talent, one whose singular vision of architecture has indelibly changed the profession, and the world we inhabit. Some belong to MoMA's collection, and many arose from her competition proposal for "The Peak" leisure club in Hong Kong, which she won only five years after graduating from architecture school at the AA.

From "The Peak" series (early 1980s):

From "The Peak":

"The Peak" Site Plan Line drawing:

"Malevich's Tektonik" painting (1974-76):

"The World (89 Degrees)" (1983):

Hadid showing "The Peak" to Margaret Thatcher:

Related: Zaha Hadid lecture at SCI-Arc, circa 1985, "beams out talent, strength, commanding conviction"