LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2021 TO LINA BO BARDI

Giraffe chair Lina Bo Bardi 
Instituto Bardi 

Lina Bo Bardi, 

the Italian architect, designer, 

scenographer, artist, 

who lived and worked mainly in Brazil, 

is recognized fully in her home country 

of Italy and consequently the whole of Europe,

since she is the recipient of 

the Special Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement 

in memoriam of the 17th International Architecture 

Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, 

that  opened  May 22, 2021 

Casa do Vidro Lina Bo Bardi 

The acknowledgment was recommended by Hashim Sarkis, 

curator of the Biennale Architettura 2021, 

and approved by the Board of Directors of La Biennale di Venezia.

In recommending this award, Hashim Sarkis 

expressed the following motivation:

Casa do Vidro Lina Bo Bardi 

«If there is one architect 

who embodies most 

fittingly the theme 

of the Biennale Architettura 2021, 

it is Lina Bo Bardi. 

Casa do Vidro Lina Bo Bardi 

Her career as a designer, editor, curator, 

and activist reminds us of the role of 

the architect as convener and importantly, 

as the builder of collective visions. 

Lina Bo Bardi also exemplifies the 

perseverance of the architect 

in difficult times whether wars, 

political strife, or immigration, 

and her ability to remain creative, 

generous, and optimistic throughout.

Casa do Vidro Lina Bo Bardi 

Above all, it is her powerful buildings 

that stand out in their design and in the way 

that they bring architecture, 

nature, living, and community together. 

In her hands, architecture becomes truly a convening social art.»

Just as one example, the design of the São Paulo Museum 

MASP click to see my visit at MASP

is exemplary in its ability to create a 

public space for the whole city, 

to create spaces inside that are flexible 

and to be open to experimental and more inclusive 

exhibitions such as Bo Bardi’s own exhibitions. 

The titles of these exhibitions alone, 

“The House as Soul,” “The Dignity of Architecture,” 

and “The Hand of the Brazilian People,” 

illustrate very strongly the power 

of architecture to bring people together.

Casa do Vidro Lina Bo Bardi 

The Special Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement is a long overdue recognition for an illustrious career straddling between Italy and Brazil, for re-enlivening the role of the architect as an enabler of society, 

and for a woman who 

simply represents 

the architect 

at her best.»

Casa do Vidro Lina Bo Bardi 

Congratulations 

LINA BO BARDI 

Stay in touch 

Jimmy