Award-winning architect accused of sexual misconduct

The American architect Richard Meier set to temporarily step aside as head of his own office after five women him have accused of misconduct.

The New York Times published Tuesday detailed testimonies of five women who Richard Meier accuse of misconduct. These accusations go back to the eighties.

One of them is meubelontwerpster Carol Vena-Mondt. She was invited to a dinner party at his home, but upon arrival the only guest. Meier tried afterwards to force into sex. “I tried to me of him pulling, but he grabbed me by the arm and dragged me from the hallway to the bedroom.’ They could, with great effort yet escape, but dared not until many years later, to tell her had happened.

The other accusations of female employees. The 24-year-old Laura Trimble Elbogen was adopted in 2009, as his assistant. Meier invited her to his home to celebrate. He showed her nude photos that he had taken of other women and asked Elbogen to strip naked. She refused and left, but did not dare to speak out for fear she will lose her job.

The 22-year-old Alexis Zamlich shared her negative experience with Meier that same year, however, to the management. She was the architect invited him into his home to help with his collages. During one of these visits he had unannounced his pants pulled out for her nose. According to sources of The New York Times was Zamlich $ 150,000 paid in a settlement.

It was not the first time that Meier that way, the impression tried to make female workers, as is apparent from the stories of two other women in the newspaper, which took place in 2000 and 2003.

Pritzkerprijs

The 83-year-old Meier is why it takes six months of leave as head of his own office, as was announced by a message on the website. “I am alarmed and ashamed by the testimonies of various women who feel insulted by my words and actions,” says Meier. “Our memories of the facts may differ, but I would like to sincerely apologize to everyone who feel insulted by my behavior.’

Meier was in 1984 awarded the Pritzkerprijs. He was the youngest winner ever of the prestigious prize in architecture. Meier signed, among others, the Getty Center in Los Angeles, the museum of contemporary art MACBA in Barcelona, and the town hall and library in The Hague.