Phyllis Lambert made architectural history when she persuaded her father, Canadian tycoon Samuel Bronfman, to entrust Ludwig Mies van der Rohe with the design of his Seagram company’s New York building. Lambert herself acted then as an active and not indifferent customer of the future masterpiece of modernism.
The curator of the 14th Venice Biennale Rem Koolhaas emphasized: “Without her participation, one of the rare incarnations of perfection on earth in the 20th century - the Seagram Building in New York - would not have arisen. Her creation of the Canadian Center for Architecture (CCA) in Montreal combined a remarkable plan with remarkable generosity to preserve key episodes of architectural heritage and explore them in ideal conditions.” He noted that Lambert is awarded the prize not as an architect (although she has an architectural education and completed projects), but as a customer and curator who has made a huge contribution to architecture.
CCA is one of the world's largest architectural research and exhibition centers with a rich collection of materials on the history of architecture of the 20th and 21st centuries, as well as a collection of photography (from the first years of its existence), engravings, drawings and books from the Renaissance.
In addition, Phyllis Lambert was actively involved in the preservation of the architectural heritage, the renovation of decaying urban areas, and the problems of affordable housing. She also devoted a lot of effort to the creation of the institution of public hearings, which helped to make the process of urban planning in Canada significantly more democratic.
Lambert is also known as a critic, curator and architectural historian. Her latest book to date, Building Seagram (2013), is devoted to the history of the creation of a key building of the 20th century.
