
As an architect, museum professional, teacher, and critic, Terence Riley is an internationally recognized leader in the design and development of cultural facilities and programs with great architectural significance worldwide.
Riley has played a lead role in the architect selection and design processes for the renovation and expansion of The Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Miami Art Museum, and the Museum of Art, Design and the Environment (Murcia, Spain). In addition, Riley has served on international juries for numerous important projects, including the Reina Sofia National Museum (Madrid), the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon (Washington DC), and the Museum of Latin American Art (Buenos Aires). He has also served as an advisor to both the public and private sectors with regard to such projects as the Taiwan Tourism Infrastructure Development, the World Trade Center site redevelopment in New York City, and the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong.
Riley is a founding partner of K/R (Keenen/Riley, 1984), an architectural studio well known for its designs for art museums, galleries, artists, and collectors. Riley studied architecture at the University of Notre Dame and Columbia University and is a licensed architect, certified nationally by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. An acclaimed author and contributor to journals and other publications on design, he lectures frequently and has taught at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design and at numerous other architecture schools.
In 1991, Riley was invited to join the curatorial staff of The Museum of Modern Art, New York (MoMA). After having served as the senior curator in the field for 10 years, he was given the title of Philip Johnson Chief Curator for Architecture and Design in 2002, in recognition of his accomplishments. During his tenure at MoMA, Mr. Riley played a key role in the successful development and launch of MoMA’s expanded and renovated facility, which opened to international acclaim in 2004. He was also responsible for the design and installation of the new Architecture and Design Galleries, housing the preeminent collection of its kind in the world.
During his tenure as Chief Curator at MoMA, he focused primarily on thematic presentations of contemporary architecture and design, with the intention of raising public awareness of critical global issues. He organized exhibitions of well-known figures, including Rem Koolhaas and Bernard Tschumi, as well as presenting emerging voices. In addition to international architectural surveys, such as "Light Construction," "Tall Buildings," and "On-Site: New Architecture in Spain," Riley organized two major scholarly retrospectives: "Frank Lloyd Wright: Architect," a broad overview of the architect’s 64-year career; and "Mies in Berlin," the first in-depth investigation of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s early years. In addition to promoting new knowledge of the field, Riley’s exhibitions were recognized as having the highest attendance in the history of the museum. The Design Collection also grew substantially during his tenure with the acquisition of notable design objects, architectural drawings, and models from around the world, dating from the 18th to the 21st century.
Riley joined the Miami Art Museum (MAM) as its director in March 2006. In this role, Mr. Riley led the museum through the design phase of a major expansion. He led the museum’s Architect Selection Committee, which selected Herzog & de Meuron to design an innovative new waterfront home in Miami’s Museum Park. Subsequently, he oversaw a coordinated design process that involved architects, engineers, and consultants in Miami, Basel, New York, London, and Frankfurt. Unanimously approved by the museum’s trustees and the City of Miami government, the project has been awarded $100 million in public funding and is slated to break ground in 2010.
Announcements
Louis Kahn: Architecture as Philosophy by John Lobell
Louis Kahn: Architecture as Philosophy
By John Lobell
Publisher: The Monacelli Press
Published: June 2020
Noted Louis I.Kahn expert John Lobell explores how Kahn’s focus on structure, respect for materials, clarity of program, and reverence for details come together to manifest an overall philosophy.
Our Days Are Like Full Years: A Memoir with Letters from Louis Kahn by Harriet Pattison
Our Days Are Like Full Years: A Memoir with Letters from Louis Kahn
By Harriet Pattison
Publisher: Yale University Press
Forthcoming: October 2020
An intimate glimpse into the professional and romantic relationship between Harriet Pattison and the renowned architect Louis Kahn. Harriet Pattison, FASLA, is a distinguished landscape architect. She was Louis Kahn’s romantic partner from 1959 to 1974, and his collaborator on the landscapes of the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, and the F.D.R. Memorial/Four Freedoms Park, New York. She is the mother of their son, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn.
Louis I. Kahn: The Nordic Latitudes
Louis I. Kahn: The Nordic Latitudes
By Per Olaf Fjeld and Emily Randall Fjeld
Publisher: University of Arkansas Press
Published: October 4, 2019
A new and personal reading of the architecture, teachings, and legacy of Louis I. Kahn from Per Olaf Fjeld’s perspective as a former student. The book explores Kahn’s life and work, offering a unique take on one of the twentieth century’s most important architects. Kahn’s Nordic and European ties are emphasized in this study that also covers his early childhood in Estonia, his travels, and his relationships with other architects, including the Norwegian architect Arne Korsmo.
Reading Graphic Design History: Image, Text, and Context by David Raizman
Reading Graphic Design History: Image, Text, and Context
By David Raizman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Visual Arts
Published: December 2020
An innovative approach to graphic design that uses a series of key artifacts from the history of print culture in light of their specific historical contexts. It encourages the reader to look carefully and critically at print advertising, illustration, posters, magazine art direction, and typography, often addressing issues of class, race, and gender.
David King: Designer, Activist, Visual Historian by Rick Poynor
David King: Designer, Activist, Visual Historian
By Rick Poynor
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: September 2020
A comprehensive overview of the work and legacy of David King (1943–2016), whose fascinating career bridged journalism, graphic design, photography, and collecting. King launched his career at Britain’s Sunday Times Magazine in the 1960s, starting as a designer and later branching out into image-led journalism, blending political activism with his design work.
Teaching Graphic Design History by Steven Heller
Teaching Graphic Design History
By Steven Heller
Publisher: Allworth Press
Published: June 2019
An examination of the concerted efforts, happy accidents, and key influences of the practice throughout the years, Teaching Graphic Design History is an illuminating resource for students, practitioners, and future teachers of the subject.
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