Text and photos © Hugh Pearman. A fuller version of the article first published in The Sunday Times, 15th June 2003, as "An American Beauty".
Zaha Hadid's designs used to be considered unbuildable, by people who knew nothing about architecture. Then she built a few things in odd corners of Europe - a fire station, a tram depot, a ski jump - and the same people said, OK, so she can do little stuff. But a big cultural venue - that's different. After which, it was only a matter of time before Zaha completed a big cultural venue, an $30m art gallery in this case, which she won in competition against the best in the world. The oddest thing about it is not what it looks like but where it is. Cincinnati? Please.