George Joseph Ranalli (born 1946) is an American modernist

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, scholar,

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

, and fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He is based in

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Early life and education

A native of

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

, New York, of Italian American descent, he was inspired to become an architect at the age of about 13 when he saw the then-unfinished Guggenheim Museum, which was designed by

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

. Ranalli attended Mount Saint Michael Academy high school in New York City and graduated in 1964. From 1967 to 1968, he attended New York Institute of Technology, and Pratt Institute,

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, where he received a Bachelor of Architecture in 1972. Thereafter, Ranalli attended Harvard Graduate School of Design,

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

, earning a Master of Architecture in 1974. Upon graduation, he traveled on a research grant throughout Europe before returning to New York.

Career

Ranalli founded his firm, "George Ranalli, Architect", in New York in 1977. Early on, architecture critic Paul Goldberger described Ranalli in a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' article as one of the "better younger architects" working in the Modernist idiom. Goldberger stated that Ranalli's designs were tied "as closely to the ancient craft of building as to the modern business of churning out huge commercial projects, yet they bespeak a consistent awareness of the realities of our age as well." In 1991, Michael Sorkin described Ranalli as "a creator and preserver of worlds, a precisionist." Ranalli is credited with carrying forward the lessons of Italian architect

Carlo Scarpa Carlo Scarpa (2 June 1906 – 28 November 1978) was an Italian architect, influenced by the materials, landscape and the history of Venetian culture, and by Japan. Scarpa translated his interests in history, regionalism, invention, and the tec ...

into new settings. Architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable wrote that Ranalli's "purpose is to move modernism into an enriched and more deeply referenced style." In 1996,

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

granted Ranalli a Master of Arts degree, honoris causa. In 2015, Architectural Record described Ranalli's career as a Gesamtkunstwerk. Ranalli's industrial design objects, such as door hardware, furniture, and glassware are recognized as art. The firm George Ranalli Architect is credited with innovating total design concepts for interior architecture and furniture design.

Selected architecture

* 2018: The National school House for Theater Arts Masterplan, New York City * 2009: Saratoga Avenue Community Center, Brownsville,

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, a public-building project for New York City Housing Authority * 2002: Masterplan for The City College of New York (plan only, unbuilt) * 1996: K-Loft, urban dwelling (interior) * 1990: Fashion Center Building, 525 Seventh Avenue * 1982: The Peak Competition,; 8 Severn Road, Victoria Peak, Hong Kong, completed 2006 * 1981: Callander School Renovation/ Restoration, Newport,

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

* 1977: First of August/ August Too boutique,

Museum and gallery exhibitions

Ranalli has been exhibited in

at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

, Whitney Museum of American Art, MoMA,

Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is a design museum housed within the Andrew Carnegie Mansion in Manhattan, New York City, along the Upper East Side's Museum Mile. It is one of 19 museums that fall under the wing of the Smithsonian Inst ...

American Craft Museum The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), based in Manhattan, New York City, collects, displays, and interprets objects that document contemporary and historic innovation in craft, art, and design. In its exhibitions and educational programs, the m ...

, Skyscraper Museum, Architectural League of New York,

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to s ...

, Sperone Westwater Fisher gallery,

Artists Space Artists Space is a non-profit art gallery and arts organization first established at 155 Wooster Street in Soho, New York City. Founded in 1972 by Irving Sandler and Trudie Grace and funded by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), Artist ...

, and

The Drawing Center The Drawing Center is a Manhattan, New York, museum and a nonprofit exhibition space that focuses on the exhibition of drawings, both historical and contemporary. History The Drawing Center was founded by former assistant curator of drawings at ...

. Throughout the United States, Ranalli has contributed to exhibitions at

Bass Museum The Bass Museum of Art is a contemporary art museum located in Miami Beach, Florida. The Bass Museum of Art was founded in 1963 and opened in 1964. History Early years John Bass (1891-1978) and Johanna Redlich (m. Feb. 21, 1921) were Jewish-imm ...

, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Denver Art Museum, Indianapolis Museum of Art,

The Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mil ...

, Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Otis Art Institute, and the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

. International exhibitions of Ranalli's work include Centre Pompidou, Canadian Centre for Architecture,

Museum of Finnish Architecture The Museum of Finnish Architecture ( fi, Suomen arkkitehtuurimuseo, sv, Finlands arkitekturmuseum) is an architectural museum in Helsinki, Finland. Established in 1956, it is the second oldest museum of its kind (after the Shchusev Museum of Arc ...

, XVII Triennale di Milano, and

Design Museum, Helsinki Design Museum ( fi, Designmuseo, sv, Designmuseet) is a museum in Helsinki devoted to the exhibition of both Finnish and foreign design, including industrial design, fashion, and graphic design. The building is situated in Kaartinkaupunki, on K ...

Professional recognition

Ranalli has received professional awards from the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects in 2015, the New York Society of Architects,

New York Foundation for the Arts The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is an independent 501(c)(3) charity, funded through government, foundation, corporate, and individual support, established in 1971. It is part of a network of national not-for-profit arts organizations ...

, and the Architectural League of New York. Between 1969 and 2015, Ranalli received design awards from the

Society of American Registered Architects The Society of American Registered Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. History The Society of American Registered Architects was founded on November 9, 1956 by Wilfred J. Gregson. As a professional societ ...

;

, and Progressive Architecture. In 2015, he received the Stanford White Award.

Academia

Ranalli was a professor of architectural design and

visual studies Visual culture is the aspect of culture expressed in visual images. Many academic fields study this subject, including cultural studies, art history, critical theory, philosophy, media studies, Deaf Studies, and anthropology. The field of vi ...

at Yale University School of Architecture & Environmental Design for 23 years, from 1976 to 1999. From 1987 to 1999, Ranalli along belonged to the fellowship of Morse College at

. Ranalli has been a visiting professor of architectural design and drawing at colleges and universities, such as Boston Architectural Center,

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...

, University of Illinois at Chicago,

Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies The Institute for Architecture & Urban Studies is a non-profit architecture studio and think tank located in Manhattan, New York, United States. IAUS (1967–1984) The Institute of Architecture and Urban Studies was founded in 1967 as a non-pr ...

, and Cooper Union. From 1999 to 2017, Ranalli ran the architecture department at the City College of New York. In 2005, he was honored with the Renaissance Award from the Alumni Association of the City College School of Architecture.

Curation

Ranalli is known for work in the areas of architecture curation. ; Yale School of Architecture * Paul Rudolph: Drawing For Architecture 1956–1963, October 1 – November 23, 1977 * Young Architects, January 14 – February 1, 1980 * Diana Agrest/Mario Gandelsonas, January 2–30, 1981 * Raimund Abraham, Collisions, October 26 – December 4, 1981 * Helmut Jahn, November 1 – December 3, 1982 *

Gaetano Pesce Gaetano Pesce (born 8 November 1939) is an Italian architect and a design pioneer of the 20th century. Pesce was born in La Spezia in 1939, and he grew up in Padua and Florence. During his 50-year career, Pesce has worked as an architect, u ...

, October 31 – December 2, 1982 *

: Drawings for the Brion Family Cemetery, October 22 – November 23, 1984 ; Architecture Department, City College of New York * Architecture With and Without Le Corbusier: José Oubrerie Architect, 2010 * Clear Light: The Architecture of

Lauretta Vinciarelli Lauretta Vinciarelli (1943 – August 3, 2011) was an artist, architect, and professor of architecture at the collegiate level. Background and education Born in Arbe, Italy, Lauretta Vinciarelli was the daughter of Alberto and Annunciata Cenc ...

, 2011–2012 *

James Wines James Wines (born 1932) is an American artist and architect associated with environmental design. Wines is founder and president of SITE,

: A Line Around Around an Idea, September 20, 2012 - April 5, 2013 * Building the Modern Gothic: George B. Post at City College, February 4, 2013 – May 5, 2014 * La Sagrada Familia: Gaudi's Unfinished Masterpiece, Geometry, Construction and Site, September 2014 – May 2015

Monographic publications

* Ranalli, G. (2015) ''In Situ: George Ranalli Works & Projects.'' Shinzen,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

: Oscar Riera Ojeda Publishers. * Ranalli, G. (2009) ''Saratoga.'' San Raphael, CA: ORO Editions. * Ranalli, G. (1999) ''Casas Internacional: George Ranalli,'' Oscar Riera Ojeda (ed.).

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

: Kliczowski Publishers. * Ranalli, G. (1990) ''Tokushū: Jōji Ranari = Special feature: George Ranalli.'' Tokyo, Japan: A + U Publishing Co., Ltd. * Ranalli, G. (1990) ''Bauten und Projekte = Constructions et Projets.''

Zürich , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Z ...

: Verlag für Architektur Artemis. * Ranalli, G. (1988) ''George Ranalli: Buildings and Projects.'' New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ranalli, George Living people 1946 births American people of Italian descent Modernist architects Pratt Institute alumni Harvard Graduate School of Design alumni Yale School of Architecture faculty Architecture educators 20th-century American architects Modernist designers Furniture designers Industrial designers American architects Fellows of the American Institute of Architects Architects from New York (state) Cooper Union faculty