Philip Johnson

Who was Philip Johnson?

Philip Cortelyou Johnson was an influential American architect.

In 1930, he founded the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. In 1978 he was awarded an American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and in 1979 the first Pritzker Architecture Prize. He was a student at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Johnson was gay, and has been called "the best-known openly gay architect in America." He came out publicly in 1993.

Johnson died in his sleep while at his Glass House retreat in 2005. He was survived by his partner of 45 years, David Whitney, who died later that year at age 66.