Building a legacy

Parisian architect Paul Andreu has designed so many iconic buildings in China that it's easy to lose count. Among his best known are the National Grand Theatre in Beijing, the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, the Jinan Grand Theatre and Shanghai Pudong International Airport. Approaching the age of 80, Andreu continues to develop projects in China, including a revolutionary undertaking to bring new life to an impoverished village in rural Shandong. The globally renowned architect, writer and (most recently) painter held his first art exhibition, Dialogue avec le Papier, this summer at Beijing's Yishu 8, where Philippe Dova sat down with him for this exclusive interview

How was it that you went from architecture to writing - and more recently to painting?

I have a desire to create, for continuous renewal. While I can't say that I know everything there is to know about architecture, I no longer have much to prove or discover. For me, painting is just as important, creatively, but it's something you do alone in your workshop, with a piece of paper and a pot of ink or acrylic paint - it's terribly refreshing.