Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid, founder of Zaha Hadid Architects, was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize (considered the Nobel Prize of architecture) in 2004 and is internationally known for her built, theoretical and academic work. The MAXXI: National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome, Italy and the London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympic Games are excellent demonstrations of Hadid's quest for complex, fluid space. In 2010 and 2011, her designs were awarded the Stirling Prize by the Royal Institute of British Architects. Other recent awards include UNESCO naming Hadid as an "Artist for Peace", the Republic of France honouring Hadid with 'Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, TIME magazine included her in their list of the '100 Most Influential People in the World' and in 2012, Zaha Hadid was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. She passed away in 2016.