Dutch artist Madelon Vriesendorp has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Soane Medal, making history as the first UK-based female artist to receive this distinguished honor since the award's establishment in 2017. As a co-founder of the renowned Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), Vriesendorp has gained international recognition for her distinctive surrealist and humorous visual language that has fundamentally shaped how modern and postmodern architecture is represented and understood by the public.
Vriesendorp's artistic work, which masterfully blends playfulness with critical architectural thinking, has provided the field of architecture with vivid and memorable imagery that continues to influence generations of architects worldwide. Her unique approach to visual storytelling has become an integral part of OMA's conceptual identity, appearing on numerous book covers, magazine publications, and helping translate complex theoretical architectural ideas into accessible narratives for broader audiences.
Born in 1945 in the Netherlands, Vriesendorp pursued her artistic education at the prestigious Central Saint Martins in London before making a pivotal move to New York in 1972. It was there that she co-founded OMA alongside the renowned architect Rem Koolhaas and fellow architects Elia and Zoe Zenghelis. Her paintings quickly became an essential component of the firm's early conceptual framework, establishing a visual language that would define the practice for decades to come.
Among her most celebrated and recognizable works is "Flagrant Délit," a captivating painting that depicts an imaginative love affair between two of New York's most iconic skyscrapers - the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building - illuminated by the symbolic torch of the Statue of Liberty. This striking image became the iconic cover of "Delirious New York" and remains emblematic of OMA's groundbreaking early years, representing the firm's innovative approach to understanding urban relationships and architectural narratives.
As OMA evolved and expanded from conceptual proposals to realized built works, Vriesendorp's artistic vision remained a defining feature of the firm's identity and public presentation. Her mural for the Netherlands Dance Theatre in The Hague exemplifies the enduring connection between her artistic practice and the firm's architectural philosophy, demonstrating how visual art can enhance and complement architectural spaces.
Vriesendorp's work has been featured in numerous international exhibitions, most notably "World of Madelon Vriesendorp," which premiered in 2008 and brought together decades of her paintings in a comprehensive retrospective. This acclaimed exhibition traveled to prestigious institutions including the Architectural Association, Aedes Architecture Forum, the Venice Biennale, and the Swiss Architecture Museum, cementing her reputation as a significant figure in contemporary architectural culture.
The 2025 Soane Medal specifically acknowledges Vriesendorp's enduring contribution to architecture through her imaginative visual storytelling and her lasting influence on architectural culture and discourse. The medal ceremony will take place on November 18 at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, where Vriesendorp will deliver a public lecture sharing insights from her distinguished career.
Presented annually by Sir John Soane's Museum, the Soane Medal continues the legacy of the renowned 18th-century architect John Soane by encouraging a broader understanding of architecture's vital role in society. Recipients of this prestigious honor receive a replica of the original gold medal that was presented to Soane himself in 1835. Vriesendorp was selected by a distinguished jury of architects, critics, and curators chaired by Amin Taha.
The recognition places Vriesendorp alongside an impressive roster of previous laureates, including Hanif Kara, Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal, Peter Barber, Marina Tabassum, Denise Scott Brown, Kenneth Frampton, and Rafael Moneo. This honor reflects a broader shift in the architectural community toward celebrating diverse voices and practices that shape global architectural discourse and understanding.
