John Portman: Art and Architecture

John Portman is an architect and artist whose influence has reshaped the skyline of cities internationally, particularly that of his hometown, Atlanta. His architectural firm was established in 1953, and the 800-room Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, which opened in 1967, introduced the world’s first modern atrium hotel, a model which radically changed the industry. In the 1980s, Portman began painting and creating sculptures that are on view in his buildings and homes. The October 2009 exhibition at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta features Portman’s fine art as well as projects from throughout his career.

John Portman: Art and Architecture, including essays by eminent architecture critics Paul Goldberger and Robert M. Craig, considers selected architectural and development projects, from early works in the 1950s and 1960s, including the Peachtree Center complex, to landmark hotels throughout the world, to vast mixed-use developments that sparked the rejuvenation of major cities (Embarcadero Center in San Francisco, Shanghai Centre in Shanghai, and Marina Square in Singapore), to exciting recent buildings in Korea and China.