Peter Eisenman

American architect (Newark, 11 August 1932)

Peter Eisenman (born August 11, 1932 in Newark) is an American architect and one of the leading exponents of deconstructivism in American architecture.

Eisenman's fragmentary works have earned him the inclusion in the eclectic group of architects who have been, sometimes reluctantly, labeled as deconstructivists. Although Eisenman avoids this definition, he has had a rich history of controversies that have always kept him under the attention of the (academic) public. His theories on architecture pursue the emancipation and autonomy of the discipline, and his work represents the constant attempt to free the form from all meanings. He has always had a strong cultural relationship with European intellectuals, such as the Englishman Colin Rowe and the Italian historian Manfredo Tafuri. The studies of the philosopher Jacques Derrida are a basic influence in Eisenman's architecture.

Eisenman earned a bachelor's degree in architecture from Cornell University, a master's degree in architecture from Columbia University, and a Master of Arts and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge.

Eisenman first became known as a member of the new york five, five architects (Eisenman, Charles Gwathmey, John Hejduk, Richard Meier, e Michael Graves) whose work appeared in a MoMA exhibition in 1967. Eisenman received a number of grants from the Graham Foundation for his work during this period. The work of the five was considered at the time to be a reinterpretation of Le Corbusier's ideas. Later, their paths diverged, and Eisenman began to gravitate towards the deconstructivist movement.

The idea of an autonomy of form from historical contingencies is the reason why Eisenman has long been linked to Aldo Rossi, despite completely different design outcomes. Eisenman's idea of architecture is inseparable from the knowledge and study of Giuseppe Terragni, of whom he is the moral heir. Eisenman currently teaches architecture at Yale University and has undertaken a series of large projects, including the recently completed Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (German: Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas) in Berlin and the new stadium of the University of Phoenix in Glendale, Arizona.
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