This led to his recognition as one of the New York Five (late 60s/early 70s). A group of architects whose East Coast education led them to create many formally modernist buildings. Their work was concerned with the formal principles such as the white color and abstraction.Graves decided to break from the rigid modernist formalities he had practiced. J.R. Curtis describes this as a preoccupation with "naturalistic metaphors and with quotations from history".

 One of Graves' iconic buildings is the Portland Building which upset many but is indicative of Graves' next stage. By the 1980s, many commercial firms appropriated the style for strip malls. Making the style appear in very superficial terms. Graves collaborated with companies like Disney and Target. Graves' belief that design should be universal and attainable led him to design many products for Target. He also illustrated a book, and decorated the scaffolding for the Washington Monument restoration.

Graves suffered from a spinal infection later in life which caused a paralysis. His condition evoked a new awareness of the importance of designing for people with disabilties. The "Wounded Warrior Home Project"(Disabled Veteran Housing) and the St.Coletta School (special education) are indicative of his great concern for design that could accomodate and be adjusted for people with disabilties.

Quotes: "Architecture cannot divorce itself from drawing, no matter how impressive the technology gets. Drawings are not just end products: they are part of the thought process of architectural design. Drawings express the interaction of our minds, eyes and hands.

"Good Design should be available to everyone”

Awards He is the 2012 Richard H. Driehaus Prize Laureate. Graves received the 1999 National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton. In 2001, the American Institute of Architects awarded Michael Graves its Gold Medal, the highest award bestowed upon an individual architect. Graves was the recipient of the 2010 AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education. He was also the first architect inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. In addition, Graves received the inaugural Russel Wright Award for product design, the Tau Sigma Delta Gold Medal, in recognition of his distinguished teaching career, and the William Howard Taft lifetime achievement medal from the University of Cincinnati.

To Learn More: NY Times Article About Drawing By Graves Great NY Times Article about his life PBS Special Dwell biography Princeton Bio and Princeton Obituary  http://www.michaelgraves.com/  Curtis, William J.R. Modern Architecture since 1900 third edition