The Robert Sainsbury Lecture 2013

'Influences'
The Robert Sainsbury Lecture 2013

Tracing the evolution of the Sainsbury Centre from his first meeting with the Sainsburys on New Year's Day 1974 to the enduring legacy of the building they created together, Lord Foster will pay tribute to their inspired patronage on the Centre's 35th anniversary. He will explore the ideas and personalities that informed its radical architecture, from his collaborations with Buckminster Fuller – in particular Bucky's famous exhortation to 'do more with less' – to the hangars, aircraft and industrial buildings that influenced its lightweight, flexible form. Developing this theme, he will examine the influence of the Sainsbury Centre on subsequent buildings, from Stansted, Beijing and Hong Kong airports to a new generation of galleries that draw on its industrial scale and aesthetic. He will also discuss the reciprocal influences of art and architecture – as an architect that has collaborated with many different artists throughout his career, as a collector and from the unique perspective of having recently curated an exhibition within the Carré d'Art in Nîmes – a building of his own design.