Jean-Louis Cohen (1949-2023)
Prize winner
The work of the French architect, researcher, scientist and curator includes publications and exhibitions, which have made essential contributions to the understanding of international connections between prominent modern age architects and their impact. Cohen discusses building culture as a means of self-understanding beyond national traditions.
Involved in numerous research projects since 1973, Cohen precisely investigates the political, social and cultural conditions of the work of architects and city planners in various epochs. His research on architecture and city planning in revolutionary Russia is integrated in the discourse about the ambivalence of the modern age. His studies of Le Corbusier’s work in the Soviet Union have pervaded questions about the relationship between power and morality. Cohen also focuses on the eventful relationship between France and Germany.
The projects of German architects for cities and regions in France occupied during World War II, are also part of his studies along with the work of French architects in Germany after the war. Between meticulous research and a vivid display of the results at exhibitions and in extensive publications, Jean-Louis Cohen has succeeded like no other scientist in the history of architecture and planning to address a wide audience. At the same time he raises his voice in support of the quality of the environment created by human beings and against its endangerment due to the change in generations and epochs.
Werner Durth