Maya Lin | Biography, Art, Vietnam Memorial, & Facts

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class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Maya-Lin">Maya Lin</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <span class="toc-extra-link selected link-gray-900 mt-15"> Introduction </span> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Maya-Lin/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Maya-Lin">Quick Facts & Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Maya-Lin/images-videos">Images</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/198490-050-116993E3/Maya-Lin-Asian-American-artist-works-some.jpg" data-href="/media/1/341598/253750" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/198490-004-2ADD941B/Maya-Lin-Asian-American-artist-works-some.jpg" alt="Maya Lin" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/88/189188-050-C3FE85A3/Vietnam-Veterans-Memorial-Washington-DC.jpg" data-href="/media/1/341598/119291" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/88/189188-004-8AA5FAB5/Vietnam-Veterans-Memorial-Washington-DC.jpg" alt="Maya Lin: Vietnam Veterans Memorial" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/22/166122-050-3E2BD117/tribute-dignity-struggle-equality-African-American-Civil-1989.jpg" data-href="/media/1/341598/253751" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/22/166122-004-ECA5B300/tribute-dignity-struggle-equality-African-American-Civil-1989.jpg" alt="Maya Lin: Civil Rights Memorial" height="50" /> </a> </div> <button disabled class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Previous"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span> </button> <button disabled class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Next"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span> </button> </div> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-student-links"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> For Students 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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-10-01T00:00:00CDT" >Oct 1, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Maya-Lin/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="qf-title font-weight-bold font-14 mb-10 text-center"> Quick Facts</div> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Born: </dt> <dd>October 5, 1959, <a href="/place/Athens-Ohio">Athens</a>, <a href="/place/Ohio-state">Ohio</a>, U.S. (age 65)</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Awards And Honors: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/Presidential-Medal-of-Freedom">Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016)</a></dd> <dd><a href="/art/National-Medal-of-Arts">National Medal of Arts (2009)</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Notable Works: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/Blue-Lake-Pass">“Blue Lake Pass”</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Civil-Rights-Memorial">Civil Rights Memorial</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Vietnam-Veterans-Memorial">Vietnam Veterans Memorial</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Subjects Of Study: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/Maya-Lin-A-Strong-Clear-Vision">“Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision”</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Maya-Lin"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref667977"></span>Maya Lin</strong> (born October 5, 1959, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Athens-Ohio" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Athens</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Ohio-state" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Ohio</a>, U.S.) is an American architect and sculptor concerned with environmental themes who is best known for her design of the <span id="ref667978"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Vietnam-Veterans-Memorial" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Vietnam Veterans Memorial</a> in Washington, D.C.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="119291" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/88/189188-050-C3FE85A3/Vietnam-Veterans-Memorial-Washington-DC.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/341598/119291"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/88/189188-050-C3FE85A3/Vietnam-Veterans-Memorial-Washington-DC.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/88/189188-050-C3FE85A3/Vietnam-Veterans-Memorial-Washington-DC.jpg?w=300" alt="Maya Lin: Vietnam Veterans Memorial" data-width="1600" data-height="1060" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/88/189188-050-C3FE85A3/Vietnam-Veterans-Memorial-Washington-DC.jpg" data-href="/media/1/341598/119291">Maya Lin: Vietnam Veterans Memorial</a><span>Section of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, designed by Maya Lin, dedicated 1982; in Washington, D.C.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The daughter of <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="intellectuals" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intellectuals" data-type="MW">intellectuals</a> who had fled China in 1948, Lin received a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/bachelors-degree" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">bachelor’s degree</a> in 1981 from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Yale-University" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Yale University</a> in New Haven, Connecticut, where she studied <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/architecture" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">architecture</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/sculpture" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">sculpture</a>. During her senior year she entered a nationwide competition sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund to create a design for a monument honouring those who had served and died in that <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Vietnam-War" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">war</a>. Lin’s award-winning design consisted of a polished black granite V-shaped wall inscribed with the names of the approximately 58,000 men and women who were killed or missing in action. This minimal plan was in sharp contrast to the traditional format for a memorial, which usually included figurative, heroic sculpture. The design aroused a great deal of controversy, reflecting the lack of resolution of the national conflicts over the war, as well as the lack of <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="consensus" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consensus" data-type="MW">consensus</a> over what <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="constituted" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/constituted" data-type="MW">constituted</a> an appropriate memorial at the end of the 20th century. Eventually, a compromise was reached with the commissioning of a traditional statue depicting three servicemen with a flag to stand at the entrance to the memorial. After Lin’s monument was dedicated on <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/the-Mall" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">the Mall</a> in Washington, D.C., on <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Veterans-Day" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Veterans Day</a> in 1982, however, it became a popular and affecting tourist attraction. In 2005 the American Institute of Architects conferred upon the monument its 25-Year Award, given to a structure that has proved its worth over time.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="253751" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/22/166122-050-3E2BD117/tribute-dignity-struggle-equality-African-American-Civil-1989.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/341598/253751"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/22/166122-050-3E2BD117/tribute-dignity-struggle-equality-African-American-Civil-1989.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/22/166122-050-3E2BD117/tribute-dignity-struggle-equality-African-American-Civil-1989.jpg?w=300" alt="Maya Lin: Civil Rights Memorial" data-width="1600" data-height="1035" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/22/166122-050-3E2BD117/tribute-dignity-struggle-equality-African-American-Civil-1989.jpg" data-href="/media/1/341598/253751">Maya Lin: Civil Rights Memorial</a><span>The Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama, designed by Maya Lin.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Lin sought anonymity by returning to <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="academia" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/academia" data-type="MW">academia</a>, beginning graduate studies in architecture at <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Harvard-University" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Harvard University</a> in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In early 1983 she left Harvard to work for a Boston architect, and in 1986 she completed a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/master-degree" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">master’s degree</a> in architecture at Yale. In 1988 Lin agreed to design a monument for the <span id="ref667979"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/American-civil-rights-movement" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">civil rights movement</a> on behalf of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Southern-Poverty-Law-Center" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Southern Poverty Law Center</a>. Her design consisted of two elements: a curved black granite wall inscribed with a quotation from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Luther-King-Jr" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Martin Luther King, Jr.</a>, and a 12-foot- (3.7-metre-) diameter disk bearing the dates of the major events of the civil rights era and the names of 40 people who were <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="martyrs" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/martyrs" data-type="MW">martyrs</a> to the cause. Water flows gently over both parts of the memorial. The <span id="ref667980"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Civil-Rights-Memorial" class="md-crosslink ">Civil Rights Memorial</a> was dedicated in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Montgomery-Alabama" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Montgomery</a>, Alabama, in November 1989.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/artists-painters-architects" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/85/151885-131-F94726A4/Close-up-man-palette-color-mixing-paint-painting.jpg" alt="Close-up of a palette held by a man. Mixing paint, painting, color mixing." class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Artists, Painters, & Architects</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In an attempt to avoid being typecast as a builder of memorials, Lin in the 1990s shifted her attention to other forms of art and architecture. Many of her artworks, from small sculptures displayed in galleries to large environmental installations, took their inspiration from the natural features and landscape of Earth. In a series of “wave fields” (<em>The Wave Field</em> [1995] in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Ann-Arbor" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Ann Arbor</a>, Michigan; <em>Flutter</em> [2005] in Miami; and <em>Storm King Wavefield</em> [2009] in Mountainville, New York), for instance, she reshaped grass-covered terrain to resemble undulating ocean waves. Lin also explored the ways individuals experience the landscape through a series of constructed <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="topographies" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/topographies" data-type="MW">topographies</a>, as in <em>2×4 Landscape</em> and <em><span id="ref1292678"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Blue-Lake-Pass" class="md-crosslink ">Blue Lake Pass</a></em> (both 2006), and she considered bodies of water in such works as the sculpture <em>Silver Ontario</em>(2012–13) and the site-specific installation <em>A River Is a Drawing</em> (2018). In Madison Square Park, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-state" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">New York</a>, Lin planted a temporary grove of dead Atlantic white cedars killed after rising seawater caused saltwater inundation. The work, <em>Ghost Trees</em> (2021), sought to draw attention to the often unseen effects of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/climate-change" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">climate change</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In 2000 Lin was commissioned to create a series of seven art installations along the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Columbia-River" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Columbia River</a> to honour the bicentennial of the <span id="ref1084438"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Lewis-and-Clark-Expedition" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Lewis and Clark Expedition</a>. These pieces—which ranged in size and scale from a fish-cleaning table inscribed with the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chinook-people" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Chinook</a> origin story to a pedestrian bridge spanning a state highway—examined the historical impact of the expedition on the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Northwest-Coast-Indian" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">native peoples</a> and on the land of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Northwest-region" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Pacific Northwest</a>. Lin’s interest in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/environmentalism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">environmentalism</a> reached its <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="apotheosis" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apotheosis" data-type="MW">apotheosis</a> with the multimedia project <em><span id="ref1084439"></span>What Is Missing?</em> (begun 2009), an exploration of the growing threats to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/biodiversity" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">biodiversity</a> that she referred to as her “final memorial.”</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Among Lin’s other large-scale works are <em>Topo</em> (1991), a topiary park in Charlotte, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/North-Carolina-state" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">North Carolina</a>, created in collaboration with landscape architect Henry F. Arnold; <em>The Women’s Table</em> (1993), a sculpture <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="commemorating" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commemorating" data-type="MW">commemorating</a> the coeducation of women at Yale; and <em><span id="ref1298314"></span>Groundswell</em> (1993), an installation of 43 tons of glass pebbles at the <span id="ref1292680"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Wexner-Center-for-the-Arts" class="md-crosslink ">Wexner Center for the Arts</a> in Columbus, Ohio. Her architectural achievements, which were noted for their emphasis on sustainability, include designs for the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Langston-Hughes" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Langston Hughes</a> Library (1999), a converted barn in Clinton, Tennessee; the Museum of Chinese in America (2009) in New York City; and the Neilson Library (2021) at <span id="ref1298315"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Smith-College" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Smith College</a>, Northampton, Massachusetts.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In 1995 the feature-length film <em><span id="ref1292679"></span>Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision</em> (1994), written and directed by Freida Lee Mock, won the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Academy-Award" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Oscar</a> for best documentary. Lin was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2009 and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Presidential-Medal-of-Freedom" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Presidential Medal of Freedom</a> in 2016.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=black-friday-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span><span class="md-signature">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/contributor/encyclopaedia-britannica/12989892">Encyclopaedia Britannica</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":341598,"pageLength":816,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"C","adLeg":"C","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"BIO_MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Maya Lin | Biography, Art, Vietnam Memorial, & Facts | Britannica