The Pritzker Architecture Prize issued a statement defending the integrity of its selection process after newly released Jeffrey Epstein files detailed past contact between Tom Pritzker, the director of the foundation behind the award, and the disgraced financier.
The statement, released to the New York Times, said the Hyatt Foundation’s role as the prize’s benefactor allows it “to remain assured in the strength of its process and focus entirely on the celebration of architectural excellence.” It also emphasized the jury’s independence: “The jury, composed of internationally respected professionals from a range of disciplines, has always and will continue to conduct its work confidentially and free from external influence.”
The response comes weeks before the prize is set to announce its next laureate. A spokesperson said the announcement, which typically occurs in the first week of March, would be delayed slightly.
According to the files released last month, Pritzker and Epstein frequently corresponded about meals and appointments after Epstein’s 2008 plea deal on sex crimes charges. In one email concerning legal representation for an architect, Pritzker wrote: “Flexible principles! It’s what I love about lawyers and politicians.” The documents also showed that Epstein considered attending the Pritzker ceremony in Beijing in 2012, when Chinese architect Wang Shu won the prize.
Pritzker recently resigned as executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels Corporation, saying he had “exercised terrible judgment in maintaining contact with” Epstein and his longtime companion Ghislaine Maxwell. He remains director and vice president of the Pritzker Foundation; director and president of the Pritzker Family Philanthropic Fund; and director, chairman and president of the Hyatt Foundation.
Founded in 1979 by Jay A. Pritzker and his wife, Cindy, the Pritzker Prize has become one of architecture’s most prominent honors, often described as the profession’s highest award. The prize includes $100,000 and a bronze medallion, and has been awarded to architects including Frank Gehry, Jean Nouvel, Francis Kéré, and Liu Jiakun.
The prize has faced scrutiny before over questions of recognition and representation, according to the Times. Zaha Hadid became the first woman to win in 2004. Other women have received the award in partnership with collaborators. In 2013, a petition called on the jury to retroactively honor Denise Scott Brown alongside Robert Venturi, who received the prize in 1991, but the jury declined to revisit the earlier decision.
Tom Pritzker, one of 13 heirs to the Pritzker family fortune, has long been closely associated with the award. His remarks typically appear in each year’s laureate announcement, and he is featured prominently on the prize’s website.
