On May 7 of this year, architect Frank Gehry, designer of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, received the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts. According to the jury: "[It is] through the relevance and impact of his creations in numerous countries that he has defined and furthered the cause of architecture during the last half century." The jury is formed by photographer Ouka Leele, Enrique González-Macho, Director of the Academia Española de Cine; Miguel Zugaz, Director of the Museo del Prado; Catalina Luca de Tena, President of ABC; Carlos Fitz-James Stuart y Martínez de Irujo, Duke of Huéscar; and José Lladó, President of the Jury, among others. They noted that the buildings designed by Gehry are characterized by "a virtuoso play of complex shapes, the use of unusual materials, such as titanium, and their technological innovation, which has also had an impact on other arts." The jury offered as an example of that "open, playful and organic style of architecture" the Museum Guggenheim in Bilbao, which, "in addition to its architectural and aesthetic excellence, has had an enormous economic, social and urban impact on its surroundings." Frank Owen Gehry was born in Toronto, Canada, and besides the Guggenheim in Bilbao, he has designed many other buildings around the world, among these: the Nationale-Nederlanden building in Prague (1996), also known as the Dancing House; the Herederos del Marqués de Riscal winery in Elciego in Álava (2006); the Aerospace Museum in California (1984), the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany (1989); and the Frederick Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis (1993), among others. This trajectory has earned Gehry the Pritzker Architecture Prize (1989), regarded as one of the highest recognitions in the world in the field of architecture. This is the reason Gehry is considered one of the most prominent representatives in the US of the deconstructionist current. The Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts, like the seven other awards granted by the Fundación Príncipe de Asturias, includes a purse of 50,000.00 euros, a sculpture by Joan Miró, a diploma and an insignia. "I feel deeply honored to receive this prestigious award. Spain holds an important place in my heart and in my personal history. Though I am from Canada and the US, I always feel at home in Spain. It pleases me very much to be part of the legacy of this important award." Frank O. Gehry Los Angeles, 7th May 2014 Statement after receiving the 2014 Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts