Michael Graves

Personal

Vocation

Notable

Family

American architect and principal of Michael Graves and Associates and Michael Graves Design Group. He was also professor of architecture at Princeton University for nearly forty years. Graves, who was one of The New York Five and a member of the Memphis Group, is best known first for his modern and postmodern building designs. Some of his best-known public commissions, such as the Portland Building in Oregon and the Humana Building in Kentucky, became iconic examples of Postmodern architecture. Other notable projects in the United States include a major expansion of the Denver Public Library in Colorado and several buildings for The Walt Disney Company, among others. He also designed buildings internationally. In addition to his postmodern buildings, Graves was a representative of New Urbanism and New Classical Architecture, and was recognized as a major influence in all three movements. Graves's recognition increased through his designs of domestic products for premium Italian housewares maker Alessi and his lower-cost designs for mass-consumer products that were sold in stores such as Target and J. C. Penney in the United States. Graves was the recipient of numerous honours for his architectural and product designs, including a National Medal of Arts (1999), the American Institute of Architects' Gold Medal (2001), and the Driehaus Architecture Prize (2012). Graves died at his home in Princeton, New Jersey, on 12 March 2015 at the age of 80. Link to Wikipedia biography