Frank Gehry (1929 – Present)
“Deconstructivist” Architect, Santa Monica, CA
Inventive and irreverent, Frank Gehry has been surrounded by controversy for most of his career. Using unorthodox materials like corrugated metal and chain link, Gehry creates unexpected, twisted forms that break conventions of building design. His work has been called radical, playful, organic, and sensual.
Early in his career, Frank Gehry designed houses inspired by modern architects such as Richard Neutra and Frank Lloyd Wright. As Gehry’s career expanded, he became known for massive, iconoclastic projects that attracted attention and controversy. Many buildings by Frank Gehry have become tourist attractions, drawing visitors from around the world.
An interesting profile of Frank Gehry may also be seen in the documentary film Sketches of Frank Gehry. Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Sydney Pollack, the film begins with Gehry’s original project sketches. Through relaxed, intimate conversations with Frank Gehry, Pollack explores the process of turning those sketches into tangible, three-dimensional models (often made simply of cardboard and scotch tape) and, ultimately, into finished buildings.
Quote:
“I approach each building as a sculptural object, a spatial container, a space with light and air, a response to context and appropriateness of feeling and spirit. To this container, this sculpture, the user brings his baggage, his program, and interacts with it to accommodate his needs. If he can’t do that, I’ve failed.”
Distinguished work:
1978: Gehry House (Gehry’s private residence) in Santa Monica, California
1997: Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain
2004: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Stata Complex, Cambridge, Massachusetts
1989: Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California
2007: IAC Building in New York City
Awards:
1989: Pritzker Architecture Prize
1992: Wolf Prize in Art, the Wolf Foundation
1994: Dorothy and Lillian Gish Award for lifetime contribution to the arts
1998: National Medal of Arts
1999: Gold Medal, American Institute of Architects
2000: Lifetime Achievement Award, Americans for the Arts
More than 100 awards from the American Institute of Architects
