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Frank Gehry

CC FAIA
Frank O. Gehry - Parc des Ateliers (cropped).jpg
Gehry in 2010
Born
Frank Owen Goldberg

(1929-02-28) February 28, 1929 (age 96)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Citizenship
  • Canada
  • United States
Occupation Architect
Spouse(s)
Anita Snyder
​
​
(m. 1952; div. 1966)​
Berta Isabel Aguilera
​
(m. 1975)​
Children 4
Awards List of awards
Practice Gehry Partners, LLP
Buildings List of works

Frank Owen Gehry (born February 28, 1929) is a famous Canadian-American architect and designer. Many of his buildings, like his own home in Santa Monica, California, have become popular places to visit.

Gehry became well-known in the 1970s. He used everyday materials in new and exciting ways to create complex, flowing buildings. His style is sometimes called "deconstructivist," which means his buildings look like they are coming apart or have unusual shapes. However, Gehry himself doesn't like to be put into one category. Many experts consider his work to be among the most important in modern architecture. Vanity Fair even called him "the most important architect of our age."

Gehry is famous for his unique designs that use bold, unusual shapes and materials. His most famous buildings include the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris. These buildings often have wavy, sculptural outsides and use materials like titanium and stainless steel.

Throughout his career, Gehry has won many awards. This includes the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1989, which is like the Nobel Prize for architecture. He has also received the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the United States. Gehry's creativity isn't just for buildings; he has also designed furniture, jewelry, and even bottles.

Frank Gehry's Early Life

Gehry House - Image02
Gehry Residence in Santa Monica, California (1978)

Frank Owen Goldberg was born on February 28, 1929, in Toronto, Canada. His parents were Sadie Thelma and Irving Goldberg. His father's family was from Russia, and his mother was from Poland. Frank was a creative child. His grandmother, Leah Caplan, encouraged him. She would build small cities with him using wood scraps from her husband's hardware store. They would spend hours building imaginary houses and futuristic cities on the living room floor.

Gehry's unique use of materials like corrugated steel, chain-link fencing, and unpainted plywood was partly inspired by these childhood memories. He also spent time drawing with his father, and his mother introduced him to art. Gehry said, "The creative genes were there. But my father thought I was a dreamer. It was my mother who would push me."

His Education Journey

In 1947, Gehry's family moved to the United States and settled in California. He worked as a delivery truck driver and studied at Los Angeles City College. He later graduated from the University of Southern California's School of Architecture.

Gehry explained how he found his path: "I was a truck driver in L.A., going to City College. I tried radio announcing, which I wasn't good at. I tried chemical engineering, which I didn't like. Then I remembered what I liked. What made me excited? I remembered art. I loved going to museums and looking at paintings. I loved listening to music. These things came from my mother. I remembered Grandma and the blocks. Just on a hunch, I tried some architecture classes." Gehry earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1954.

After college, he worked different jobs, including serving in the United States Army. In 1956, he moved his family to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to study city planning at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. However, he left before finishing. He felt that his ideas for architecture that helped society were not being understood.

Frank Gehry's Career Highlights

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Chiat/Day Building in Venice, California (1991)
DSC09338 Frank Gehry Siedlung Schwanheim Goldstein
Public housing in Frankfurt-Schwanheim (1994)
Fondation Louis Vuitton roof @ Mare Saint-James @ Bois de Boulogne @ Paris (28303477171)
Part of the roof of the Fondation Louis Vuitton building in Paris, France (2016)
New World Center - Image01
New World Center in Miami Beach, Florida (2011)
Beekman Tower fr BB jeh
The tower at 8 Spruce Street in New York City (2010).
Gehry Las Vegas
The Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Nevada (2010)

Gehry left his graduate program at Harvard to start a furniture company called Easy Edges. This company made furniture from cardboard.

He then returned to Los Angeles to work for Victor Gruen Associates. In 1957, at age 28, he designed his first private home. This "David Cabin" in Idyllwild, California, showed early signs of his future style. It had beams sticking out and exposed unfinished ceilings. It also showed influences from Asian architecture.

In 1961, Gehry moved to Paris to work for architect Andre Remondet. In 1962, he started his own architecture firm in Los Angeles. His early projects were in Southern California. He designed new commercial buildings like Santa Monica Place (1980) and unique homes like the Norton House (1984).

One of Gehry's most famous early designs is the renovation of his own home in Santa Monica. He bought the 1920s house in 1977. He wrapped a metallic exterior around the original building, leaving many old details visible. Gehry still lives there today.

Other buildings he completed in the 1980s include the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (1981) and the California Aerospace Museum (1984).

In 1989, Gehry won the Pritzker Architecture Prize. The judges said he was "always open to experimentation." They noted his buildings were like "collages of spaces and materials."

Gehry continued to design other important buildings in California. This included the Chiat/Day Building (1991) in Venice, which has a giant sculpture of binoculars. He also started getting bigger projects around the world. His first European project was the Vitra International Furniture Manufacturing Facility in Germany (1989). Other major works followed, like the Frederick Weisman Museum of Art (1993) in Minnesota and the Dancing House (1996) in Prague.

In 1997, Gehry became even more famous when the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao opened in Spain. The New Yorker called it a "masterpiece of the 20th century." Architect Philip Johnson called it "the greatest building of our time." The museum became famous for its amazing design and how it helped the city's economy.

Since then, Gehry has designed many more major buildings. He is now one of the world's most famous architects. His well-known works include concert halls for classical music. The Walt Disney Concert Hall (2003) in Los Angeles is a key part of the city's downtown area. The Los Angeles Times called it "the most effective answer to doubters." Gehry also designed the Jay Pritzker Pavilion (2004) in Chicago's Millennium Park.

His other notable works include university buildings like the Stata Center (2004) at MIT. He also designed museums like the Museum of Pop Culture (2000) in Seattle. His first skyscraper was the Beekman Tower at 8 Spruce Street (2011) in New York City.

More recently, Gehry designed the Dr Chau Chak Wing Building at the University of Technology Sydney (2014). This building has 320,000 bricks in "sweeping lines." Another big project is the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

In 2014, two important museums designed by Gehry opened. These were the Biomuseo in Panama City, Panama, and the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, France. Both museums received great reviews.

In 2015, a new building for the University of Technology Sydney opened. Its outside walls have over 320,000 hand-placed bricks and glass. Gehry said he would not design another building like the "crumpled paper bag" again.

In 2020, Gehry designed the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the LUMA Arles museum in France.

Frank Gehry's Architectural Style

Gehry's work is hard to put into one category. It shows a spirit of trying new things while still being a professional architect. His early training was in modernism, but he wanted to move beyond its typical look. He creates buildings that are "fun, sculpturally exciting, good experiences."

Sometimes, Gehry's style looks unfinished or rough. This is similar to the "funk" art movement of the 1960s and 1970s in California. This art used cheap, found objects and unusual materials like clay to make serious art. His buildings often have elements of deconstructivism. He has been called "the apostle of chain-link fencing and corrugated metal siding." However, an art show in 1988 showed that he is also a skilled classical artist. He knows a lot about European art history and modern sculpture and painting.

Gallery of Gehry's Buildings

The "Bilbao Effect"

Bilbao - Guggenheim 43
The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain

The "Bilbao Effect" is a term used to describe how a city can be changed and improved by a famous, new building. Gehry's design for the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain is a perfect example. This museum helped bring new life to the city of Bilbao. It showed how architecture can help a city's economy and culture. The museum's dramatic curves and shiny titanium panels are key parts of Gehry's style. They make the building look like it's moving and flowing.

After the huge success of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, people started talking about the "Bilbao effect." This meant cities could become more lively and famous through amazing, new buildings. In the first year after the museum opened, it added about $160 million to the local economy. Since it opened, over $3.5 billion has been added. Many cities have tried to copy this effect with their own eye-catching buildings. Some have been successful, like Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Others, like the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, have been more debated. Even though some people call Gehry a "starchitect" (a star architect), he doesn't like that label.

Material Innovation in Gehry's Designs

A special part of Gehry's style is how he uses materials in new ways. He challenges normal architecture rules by using unusual things like corrugated steel, chain-link fences, and plywood. His buildings are known for their "raw aesthetic." This means he combines everyday materials in surprising ways. He creates buildings that are both useful and artistic. These choices also show that he values creativity more than expensive materials.

Gallery of Material Innovation

Working with Clients and Managing Projects

Even though his designs are very complex, Gehry manages his projects in a very organized way. He is known for listening carefully to his clients. Then, he turns their ideas into amazing designs. One person he worked with said, "Sometimes he creates something for the client that they don’t realize they want because he listens so well." Gehry himself says that being curious is a key part of his work. He states, "You’re being curious. And that curiosity leads to invention."

Teaching and Other Designs

Teaching Architecture

In 2011, Gehry became a professor of architecture at the University of Southern California (USC), his old university. He has also taught at other famous universities. These include Harvard University, University of California at Los Angeles, and Yale University.

Even though he is often called a "starchitect," he doesn't like the term. He insists he is simply an architect.

Exhibition Designs

Gehry has designed many art exhibitions. He started working with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in the 1960s. He designed displays for shows like "Art Treasures of Japan" in 1965 and "Treasures of Tutankhamen" in 1978.

He also designed the "The Art of the Motorcycle" exhibition in 1998 for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. This show later traveled to other cities.

Stage Designs

In 1983, Gehry designed the stage for a dance called Available Light. The set had two angled levels and a chain-link background. In 2012, he designed the set for an opera called Don Giovanni for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Other Creative Works

Ngv design, frank o. gehry, wiggle side chair, 1972
Wiggle side chair

Besides buildings, Gehry has designed many other things. He created furniture lines for companies like Knoll and Heller Furniture. He also designed jewelry for Tiffany & Co., household items, sculptures, and even a glass bottle for Wyborowa Vodka. His first furniture line, "Easy Edges" (1969-1973), was made from cardboard.

Gehry is often inspired by fish in his designs. He said, "It was by accident I got into the fish image." He started drawing fish in his sketchbook and realized there was something special about them.

Because of this interest, he made his first Fish Lamps between 1984 and 1986. These lamps were made from wire frames shaped like fish, with pieces of plastic glued onto them. The fish shape has appeared many times in Gehry's work. You can see it in the Fish Sculpture in Barcelona (1989–92) and Standing Glass Fish in Minneapolis (1986).

Frank gehry per alessi spa., bollitore pito, 1988
Frank Gehry designed kettle, presented in the Indianapolis Museum of Art

Gehry has also worked with Tiffany & Co. to create six jewelry collections. He also designed a chess set and tableware for the company.

In 2004, Gehry designed the official trophy for the World Cup of Hockey. He redesigned it again for the 2016 tournament.

In 2014, the fashion house Louis Vuitton asked Gehry to design a piece using their famous monogram pattern. In 2015, Gehry designed his first yacht. In 2020, he designed a special bottle for Hennessy cognac.

Software Development for Architecture

Gehry's firm also helped create new software for architecture. His company, Gehry Technologies, was started in 2002. They worked with Dassault Systèmes to bring ideas from the aerospace and manufacturing industries to architecture. They developed software like Digital Project and GTeam. In 2014, another company bought Gehry Technologies.

Frank Gehry's Personal Life

Frank Gehry is a citizen of both the U.S. and Canada. He lives in Santa Monica, California, and still works from Los Angeles. Since he grew up in Canada, he loves ice hockey. He even started a hockey league in his office called FOG (for Frank Owen Gehry).

Gehry is a member of the California Yacht Club and enjoys sailing his yacht, Foggy. He also helps lead The New York Stem Cell Foundation.

Works by Frank Gehry

Main article: List of works by Frank Gehry

Exhibitions of His Work

In October 2014, a major exhibition of Gehry's work opened in Paris at the Centre Pompidou. Other museums and galleries have also shown his architecture and designs. These include the Museum of Modern Art (1992), the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (2001), and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (2002).

Awards and Honors Frank Gehry Has Received

  • 1987: Fellow of American Academy of Arts and Letters
  • 1988: Elected into the National Academy of Design
  • 1989: Pritzker Architecture Prize
  • 1992: Praemium Imperiale
  • 1994: The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize
  • 1994: Thomas Jefferson Medal in Architecture
  • 1995: American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award
  • 1998: National Medal of Arts
  • 1998: Inaugural Austrian Frederick Kiesler Prize for Architecture and the Arts
  • 1998: Gold Medal Award, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada
  • 1999: AIA Gold Medal, American Institute of Architects
  • 2000: Cooper–Hewitt National Design Award Lifetime Achievement
  • 2002: Companion of the Order of Canada (CC)
  • 2004: Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service
  • 2006: Inductee, California Hall of Fame
  • 2007: Henry C. Turner Prize for Innovation in Construction Technology from the National Building Museum (on behalf of Gehry Partners and Gehry Technologies)
  • 2009: Order of Charlemagne
  • 2012: Twenty-five Year Award, American Institute of Architects
  • 2014: Prince of Asturias Award
  • 2014: Commandeur of the Ordre National de la Légion d'honneur, France
  • 2015: J. Paul Getty Medal
  • 2016: Harvard Arts Medal
  • 2016: Leonore and Walter Annenberg Award for Diplomacy through the Arts, Foundation for Arts and Preservation in Embassies
  • 2016: Presidential Medal of Freedom
  • 2018: Neutra Medal
  • 2019: Inductee, Canada's Walk of Fame
  • 2020: Paez Medal of Art, New York City (VAEA)

Gehry was chosen as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1974. He has received many awards from the AIA. He is also a senior fellow of the Design Futures Council.

Honorary Degrees from Universities

Images for kids

  • Former Rouse Headquaters

    Former Rouse Headquarters in Columbia, MD (1974)

  • Merriweather Post Pavillion.jpg

    Merriweather Post Pavillion in Columbia, MD (1967)

  • Toledo Museum of Art Center for Visual Arts

    Toledo Museum of Art Center for Visual Arts in Toledo, Ohio

  • The Grand and Conrad DTLA

    The Grand and Conrad hotel in Los Angeles

See also

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