Charles Abella prize giving ceremony celebrates Siza Vieira in France

Álvaro Siza Vieira, 86 years old and one of the most decorated architects in the world, was awarded the Charles Abella Prix by the French Academy of Fine Arts; the prize had been announced in October last and this past Wednesday, 27th November, the prize giving ceremony took place in Paris, France.

This architecture Prize acknowledges an outstanding work in this field. Endowed with 35 thousand euros, the award was granted for the first time to an accomplished architect; this international prize will be granted every two years, but dedicated to other young architects.

The Académie des Beaux-Arts has chosen Álvaro Siza for his "masterful body of work" and his "humanist dimension".

Siza Vieira, Professor Emeritus of the Faculty of Architecture of Porto University- FAUP, has studied Architecture at the Higher School of Fine Arts in Porto (ESBAP) from 1949 to 1955.

The Pritzker Prize in 1992 and the Mies van der Rohe prize in 1988 are among his major distinctions.

He is the author of many renowned projects worldwide. In the city of Porto, Siza Vieira designed the Serralves Contemporary Art Museum, The FAUP Building and the Bairro da Bouça, whose exhibit "Neighbourhood" was featured in Venice.

It is worth highlighting that the Serralves Museum hosts the exhibition "in/disciplina" devoted to the life and work of Siza Vieira, from 19th September until 2nd February 2020. It comprises over 400 sketches and 30 projects signed by the architect from when he was a student to present time.