Born in 1942 Matsuyama, Masaaki Sekiya is one of the most famous Japanese architecture photographers. After graduating from Gakushuin University in Tokyo, he was inspired by Scandinavian architectures and went to Retoria, Sweden to begin his professional career.
Over the years, Sekiya captured numerous buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Carlo Scarpa. Then in 1998, he published his greatest achievement: an extensive 4-volume photograph collection of Austrian architect Otto Wagner's creations.
Besides, he also maintained close ties and coordinated many projects with contemporary architects such as Richard Rogers, Zaha Hadid and Tobia Scarpa.
Although he never obtained a license because he refused to sit for the exam administered by the Italian government after WWII, Carlo Scarpa was undoubtedly one of the greatest Italian architects of all-time.
Nicknamed "Professore" rather than "Architetto" by those who knew him,
Scarpa was ahead of the times through a skillful combination of materials. His highly-acclaimed creations such as the "Castelvecchio" still look modern today and have a profound influence to his followers.
Scarpa's architectures could be found not only in Italy, but also in Canada, United States, Saudi Arabia, France, Switzerland, etc. His links to Japan were also significant as he often visit the country over his lifetime.
Born in 1935 in Venetia, Tobia is the son of Carlo Scarpa and inherited his father. He attended the Instituto Universitario di Architettura in Venice and began his career by working for the Venini Glassworks in 1957. Later, he spent his time in designing for many major international design studios, including Flos, Cassina, Knoll and B&B.
Tobia's achievements are widely recognized through winning the presitigous Premio Compasso D’oro in 1970 and iF awards in 1992. Recently he traced his father's footsteps by completing the unfinished Villa Palazzetto, his most ambitious project up-to-date.
Otto Wagner was born in Vienna in 1841. At an age of just 23, he already designed his first building. Although Wagner started out as a classical architect, he began to pursuit a contemporary and realistic style in mid and late-1880s.
To promote his ideas, Wagner widely incorporated the use of new materials and new forms to reflect the fact that society itself was changing. The best example is the Austere Neustiftgasse apartment block in Vienna, where the architectures reflected their intended function.
Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was a multi-talented American architect, interior designer, writer and educator. Over his lifetime, Wright designed more than 1,000 projects, which led to more than 500 completed works.
A pioneer in his times, Wright was an advocate for organic architecture, best represented by his "Fallingwater". He was the leader of Prairie School architectural movement and developed the concept of Usonian houses. Wright's work includes many original and innovative examples of offices, churches, schools, skyscrapers, hotels and museums. Moreover, he also designed many interior elements in his buildings, such as furniture and stained glass.
