Zaha Hadid – Biography Early life Zaha Hadid was born on October 31, 1950, in Baghdad, Iraq. She grew up in an educated and progressive family. Her father was a successful businessman and politician, and her mother was an artist. From an early age, Hadid
Frank Gehry – Biography Early life Frank Gehry was born on February 28, 1929, in Toronto, Canada. His original name was Frank Owen Goldberg. Growing up in a modest household, Gehry was inspired by his grandmother, who encouraged his creativity by letting him build little
Olafur Eliasson – Biography Early life Olafur Eliasson was born on February 5, 1967, in Copenhagen, Denmark. His parents, originally from Iceland, divorced when he was young. He spent much of his childhood between Denmark and Iceland, where he developed a strong bond with nature.
Jeff Koons – Biography Jeff Koons Biography: Early Life and Education Jeff Koons was born on January 21, 1955, in York, Pennsylvania. Raised in a middle-class family, Koons was encouraged by his father, who ran a furniture store and occasionally sold paintings. From an early
Tracey Emin – Biography Early Life and Education of Tracey Emin Tracey Emin was born on July 3, 1963, in Croydon, London. She grew up in Margate, a seaside town in England, where her childhood was marked by hardship. After her Turkish-Cypriot father left the
Anish Kapoor – Biography Early Life and Education of Anish Kapoor Anish Kapoor was born on March 12, 1954, in Mumbai, India. Growing up in a multicultural family with a Hindu father and a Jewish mother, Kapoor experienced a blend of diverse cultural traditions that
Louise Bourgeois – Biography Early Life and Education of Louise Bourgeois Louise Bourgeois was born on December 25, 1911, in Paris, France. She grew up in a household deeply connected to art and craftsmanship. Her parents owned a tapestry restoration business, and from a young
Damien Hirst – Biography Early Life and Education of Damien Hirst Damien Hirst was born on June 7, 1965, in Bristol, England, and raised in Leeds. His early years were marked by family struggles, including the separation of his parents. Raised primarily by his mother,
Alice Walker – Biography Early Life and Education of Alice Walker Alice Walker was born on February 9, 1944, in Eatonton, Georgia, into a poor African American sharecropping family. Growing up in the segregated South, she faced poverty, racial discrimination, and gender inequality from an
Ian McEwan – Biography Early Life and Education of Ian McEwan Ian McEwan was born on June 21, 1948, in Aldershot, England. His father was a British army officer, and his family moved frequently due to military postings, living in places like Singapore, Libya, and
Salman Rushdie – Biography Early Life and Education of Salman Rushdie Salman Rushdie was born on June 19, 1947, in Bombay (now Mumbai), India, into a prosperous Muslim family. His father was a businessman and lawyer, while his mother was a teacher. Growing up in
Neil Gaiman – Biography Early Life and Education of Neil Gaiman Neil Gaiman was born on November 10, 1960, in Portchester, Hampshire, England. Raised in a family with Jewish heritage, his father worked in business while his mother was a pharmacist. Gaiman grew up surrounded
Zadie Smith – Biography Early Life and Education of Zadie Smith Zadie Smith was born on October 25, 1975, in London, England. Raised in the multicultural neighborhood of Willesden, North London, she grew up in a diverse and vibrant environment that would later shape much
Michael Lewis – Biography Early Life and Education of Michael Lewis Michael Lewis was born on October 15, 1960, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Raised in a well-to-do family, his father was a corporate lawyer and his mother a community activist. From an early age, Lewis
Paulo Coelho – Biography Early Life and Education of Paulo Coelho Paulo Coelho was born on August 24, 1947, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Raised in a conservative middle-class Catholic family, Coelho showed an early interest in literature and dreamed of becoming a writer. However,
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – Biography Early Life and Education of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born on September 15, 1977, in Enugu, Nigeria. She grew up in the university town of Nsukka, where her father worked as a professor and her mother was
Toni Morrison – Biography Early Life and Education of Toni Morrison Toni Morrison was born as Chloe Ardelia Wofford on February 18, 1931, in Lorain, Ohio. Growing up in a working-class African American family during the Great Depression, Morrison was surrounded by stories, folklore, and
Isabel Allende – Biography Early Life and Education of Isabel Allende Isabel Allende was born on August 2, 1942, in Lima, Peru. Her father was a Chilean diplomat, but when he abandoned the family, her mother moved Isabel and her siblings back to Chile. Raised
Orhan Pamuk – Biography Early Life and Education of Orhan Pamuk Orhan Pamuk was born on June 7, 1952, in Istanbul, Turkey, into a wealthy and secular family. Raised in the vibrant and historically rich city of Istanbul, Pamuk developed an early fascination with its
Margaret Atwood – Biography Early Life and Education of Margaret Atwood Margaret Atwood was born on November 18, 1939, in Ottawa, Canada. She grew up moving between the city and the remote forests of Northern Quebec, where her father worked as a forest entomologist. This