April 1, 2026
Annabelle Selldorf, architect + founding principal of Selldorf Architects
The Bethune Lecture
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm • Hayes Hall - 403
New ADA Accessible 70th Street Entry at the Frick Collection. Photo: Nicholas Venezia
Annabelle Selldorf is the principal of Selldorf Architects, an internationally renowned 65-person architectural design practice she founded in New York City in 1988. The firm creates public and private spaces that manifest a clear, modern sensibility with enduring impact. Since its inception, the firm’s design ethos has been deeply rooted in the principles of humanism.
The Work We Do
Annabelle Selldorf, architect and founding principal of Selldorf Architects, will speak on the architecture of cultural institutions including her practice’s recent renovations of The Frick Collection and the National Gallery London. She will explore how great buildings help shape the possibilities for culture; discuss creating spaces that make art more welcoming and accessible, and reflect on the challenges of designing not just for people, but also for art.
LUMA Arles. Photo: Annabelle Selldorf | Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Photo: Nicholas Venezia
The practice has particular expertise in the complex requirements of cultural projects, having completed numerous museums, galleries, exhibition spaces, study centers and artists’ studios. The firm’s clients include The Frick Collection, National Gallery London, Art Gallery of Ontario, The Wallace Collection, Musée Yves Saint Laurent, Dumbarton Oaks Research Library & Collection, Clark Art Institute, and Neue Galerie New York. In addition, the firm has designed numerous galleries and exhibitions.
Image of Annabelle Selldorf.
Alongside cultural clients the firm works on major public and civic projects including Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility on the Brooklyn waterfront, the largest of its kind in the United States, and two wastewater management buildings for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection on the Gowanus Canal.
Born and raised in Cologne, Germany, Annabelle received a Bachelor of Architecture from Pratt Institute and a Master of Architecture from Syracuse University. She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and serves on the Board the Chinati Foundation, the Architectural League of New York, the World Monuments Fund, and the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College. Annabelle is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was the recipient of their prestigious Award in Architecture in 2014. In 2016, she received the AIA New York Medal of Honor, and in 2025 she was named one of TIME 100 most influential people and received an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute.