Louis Kahn

Louis Isadore Kahn (1901 to 1974) was an American architect widely recognized as one of the most important and influential architects of the twentieth century. Born in Estonia, he came to the United States as a small child and studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania in a rigorous Beaux-Arts tradition, earning his Bachelor of Architecture in 1924. He began teaching at the Yale School of Architecture in 1947, serving as professor and design critic until 1957, and later held the Paul Philippe Cret chair of architecture at the University of Pennsylvania until his death. His first significant commission was the Yale University Art Gallery, completed in 1953, and his final building, the Yale Center for British Art, opened in 1977 after his death. His architecture is known for simple geometric forms and a complex play between natural light and materials.