“For most of us, architecture is a profession of compromise [...] We are service people, turned on and off by the client, not so terribly different from window washers. But Valerio is different. He believes in the physical substance of architecture, not the impression — that something should not just look interesting but be interesting. That makes him incredibly important to our field.” — David Chipperfield on Valerio Olgiati (New York Times)
The ever-famous Valerio Olgiati is also a favorite of Kanye West, whose splashy architectural tastes have made headlines of late, and for whom the Swiss architect is said to be designing an underground Wyoming home, among other projects. The 44-year-old rapper even reached out to him for input on his recent album Donda.
“He says I am Picasso, and his job is to buy land so that I can create,” Olgiati told the NYT Style Magazine. “I have never had anyone who appreciates so much what I do.”
Olgiati previously served as the Kenzo Tange Chair at the Harvard GSD. T Magazine has a lengthy profile of the prolific architect here.
4 Comments
“He says I am Picasso, and his job is to buy land so that I can create,” Olgiati told the NYT Style Magazine. “I have never had anyone who appreciates so much what I do.”
I'm going to vomit.
so it takes a rapper to elevate a storied designer to mainstream popularity. It worked out well for Abloh and Oana.
NYT Style Magazine, the paragon of celebrity worship.
My mom, she said I'm Rembrandt, that's pretty special, I've never had anyone appreciate so much of what I do.
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