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Jean Nouvel, the bold French architect known for such wildly diverse projects as the muscular Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and the exotically louvered Arab World Institute in Paris, left, has received architectures top honor, the Pritzker Prize.

Mr. Nouvel cemented his reputation in 1987 with completion of the Arab World Institute, one of the grand projects commissioned during the presidency of François Mitterrand. A showcase for art from Arab countries, it blends high technology with traditional Arab motifs.