Chilean Architect Smiljan Radic Wins Pritzker Prize

Brooklyn Museum Director Anne Pasternak says women often get fired from museum leadership roles, while men retire

Mar. 13, 2026 at 12:21pm

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Chilean architect Smiljan Radic has been awarded the prestigious Pritzker Prize, the industry's top accolade, which was delayed due to the Pritzker family's ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Meanwhile, Brooklyn Museum director Anne Pasternak has argued that women in museum leadership positions are more likely to be fired, while their male counterparts tend to retire.

Why it matters

The Pritzker Prize is considered the Nobel Prize of architecture, honoring a living architect whose built work demonstrates a combination of talent, vision, and commitment. Radic's experimental, nature-inspired designs have been praised for their lyrical quality and embrace of fragility. Pasternak's comments also shine a light on the gender disparities in museum leadership, an issue that has been increasingly scrutinized in the art world.

The details

Radic, a Chilean architect, was awarded the Pritzker Prize, which was delayed due to the Pritzker family's ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Radic's designs are known for their austerity, stripping away excess to create a lyrical and experimental dialogue with natural elements. The Pritzker jury praised his buildings for appearing "temporary, unstable or deliberately unfinished, almost on the point of disappearance, yet they provide a structured, optimistic and quietly joyful shelter, embracing vulnerability as an intrinsic condition of lived experience." Meanwhile, Brooklyn Museum director Anne Pasternak argued at a recent forum that women in museum leadership positions are more likely to be fired, while their male counterparts tend to retire.

  • The Pritzker Prize was delayed due to the Pritzker family's ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
  • Radic was awarded the Pritzker Prize in 2026.

The players

Smiljan Radic

A Chilean architect who has been awarded the prestigious Pritzker Prize, considered the Nobel Prize of architecture.

Anne Pasternak

The director of the Brooklyn Museum, who has argued that women in museum leadership positions are more likely to be fired, while their male counterparts tend to retire.

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What they’re saying

“Men retire, but women get fired from museum leadership.”

— Anne Pasternak, Director, Brooklyn Museum (Financial Times)

The takeaway

The Pritzker Prize's recognition of Smiljan Radic's experimental, nature-inspired designs highlights the value of unconventional architectural approaches that embrace fragility and vulnerability. Meanwhile, Pasternak's comments on the gender disparities in museum leadership reinforce the need for greater equity and representation in the art world.