kids encyclopedia robot

Frank Gehry facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Frank Gehry

CC FAIA
Turner 07 FGLecture2.JPG
Gehry in 2007
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. He is known for creating buildings that look like sculptures, often using unusual shapes and materials. Many of his buildings, like his own home in Santa Monica, California, have become popular places for tourists to visit.

Gehry became well-known in the 1970s for his unique style. He mixed everyday materials with complex, flowing designs. His work is sometimes called "deconstructivist" because it seems to break apart traditional shapes, but he prefers not to be put into a single category. Many people consider his buildings to be among the most important in modern architecture. Vanity Fair even called him "the most important architect of our age."

Some of Gehry's 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 in new ways. Throughout his career, Gehry has won many awards, including the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1989, which is like the Nobel Prize for architecture. He has also designed furniture, jewelry, and even bottles.

Early Life and Education

Gehry House - Image02
Gehry Residence in Santa Monica, California

Frank Owen Gehry was born Frank Owen Goldberg on February 28, 1929, in Toronto, Canada. His grandmother encouraged his creativity by building small cities with him using wood scraps from her husband's hardware store. This early play helped him imagine houses and futuristic cities.

Gehry's love for materials like corrugated steel and chain-link fencing came partly from spending time at his grandfather's hardware store. His mother also introduced him to art. He said his mother pushed him to explore his creative side, even when his father thought he was just a dreamer.

In 1954, Gehry changed his last name from Goldberg to Gehry.

Learning to Build

In 1947, Gehry's family moved to California in the United States. He worked as a truck driver and studied at Los Angeles City College. He tried different subjects like radio announcing and chemical engineering, but he didn't enjoy them. Then, he remembered how much he loved art and building things with his grandmother.

He decided to try architecture classes. Gehry graduated from the University of Southern California's School of Architecture in 1954. After serving in the United States Army, he continued his studies in city planning at Harvard University in 1956. However, he left Harvard because he felt his ideas about architecture helping society were not understood by his professors.

Designing a Career

052607-006-Chiat-Day
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 as seen from the Bois de Boulogne 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 Lower Manhattan, completed in 2010, has a stainless steel and glass exterior and is 76 stories high (2010).
Gehry Las Vegas
The Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health of the Cleveland Clinic in Las Vegas, Nevada (2010)

After leaving Harvard, Gehry started a company called Easy Edges, which made furniture out of cardboard. He then returned to Los Angeles and in 1962, he opened his own architecture firm. His first projects were in Southern California, where he designed unique commercial buildings and homes.

One of his most famous early designs was the renovation of his own home in Santa Monica. He wrapped the original 1920 house with a metallic exterior, leaving some of the old details visible. Gehry still lives there today.

In 1989, Gehry won the Pritzker Architecture Prize. The judges praised his willingness to experiment and his ability to create buildings that were both artistic and functional. They said his buildings were like "collages of spaces and materials."

Gehry continued to design important buildings in California, like the Chiat/Day Building (1991) in Venice, which features a giant sculpture of binoculars. He also started getting bigger projects around the world, including his first European building, the Vitra Design Museum in Germany (1989). Other major works followed, such as the Dancing House (1996) in Prague.

Global Recognition

In 1997, Gehry became even more famous when the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao opened in Spain. This museum was celebrated as a "masterpiece" and "the greatest building of our time." It became known for its amazing design and how it helped the city's economy.

Since then, Gehry has designed many more iconic buildings. His concert halls are especially well-known, like the Walt Disney Concert Hall (2003) in Los Angeles, which helped bring new life to the area. He also designed the Jay Pritzker Pavilion (2004) in Chicago's Millennium Park and the New World Center (2011) in Miami Beach.

Other notable works include university buildings like the Stata Center (2004) at MIT, museums like the Museum of Pop Culture (2000) in Seattle, and skyscrapers like the Beekman Tower at 8 Spruce Street (2011) in New York City.

In recent years, Gehry has continued to work on major projects. The Dr Chau Chak Wing Building at the University of Technology Sydney was completed in 2014, known for its complex brick design. He is also working on the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and the Forma skyscraper in his hometown of Toronto.

Some of Gehry's designs have faced challenges or delays. However, projects like the Grand Avenue Project in Los Angeles and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial in Washington, D.C., have moved forward after some changes. In 2014, two important museums he designed opened: the Biomuseo in Panama City and the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris.

In 2015, a new building for the University of Technology Sydney opened, featuring over 320,000 hand-placed bricks. Gehry has said he won't design another building like that "crumpled paper bag" again. By 2021, many significant projects in Los Angeles, including a concert hall for the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, made the city look more and more like "Gehry Country."

Architectural Style

Gehry's work is hard to put into one box. He loves to experiment while still meeting the needs of his clients. His designs often try to break away from traditional modern styles, but he still cares about making big changes through his buildings. People have said he makes buildings that are "fun, sculpturally exciting, good experiences."

Sometimes, Gehry's style looks unfinished or rough. This connects to the "funk art" movement of the 1960s and 70s, which used everyday, inexpensive materials to create serious art. His buildings often have elements of "deconstructivism," meaning they seem to take apart and reassemble shapes. He has been called "the apostle of chain-link fencing and corrugated metal siding." However, his work also shows a deep understanding of art history and sculpture.

Design Ideas

Frank Gehry often says that architecture is like sculpture. He believes that buildings are three-dimensional art objects. His early work with sculptors helped him develop his experimental approach. He likes to break down traditional building shapes and create designs that feel flowing and new.

Cultural Influences

Gehry's background as a Jewish immigrant has also influenced his architecture. He often reinterprets traditional forms in ways that show his diverse experiences. His buildings have been described as questioning the idea of luxury, focusing instead on creativity. For Gehry, architecture is about creating spaces that inspire people and challenge common ideas.

Creative Use of Materials

A key part of Gehry's style is his creative use of materials. He challenges common architectural rules by using unexpected things like corrugated steel, chain-link fencing, and plywood. His buildings are known for their "raw aesthetic," combining everyday materials in surprising ways. This creates structures that blur the line between being useful and being art. These material choices also show his focus on creativity over expensive luxury.

Gallery

The Bilbao Effect

Bilbao - Guggenheim 43
The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain

The "Bilbao effect" is a term used to describe how Gehry's architecture can completely change a city. His design for the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain made the city famous and brought in a lot of money and visitors. The museum's dramatic curves and shiny titanium panels are key parts of Gehry's style, showing movement and flow.

After the huge success of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, people started talking about the "Bilbao effect." This means when a city is revitalized (made new and exciting) by a famous, eye-catching building. The museum added millions of dollars to the local economy. Many cities have tried to copy this success by building their own unique architectural landmarks. Gehry's own Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles is another great example of this positive impact.

Working with Clients

Even though his designs are complex, Gehry is very organized in how he manages projects. He is known for listening carefully to his clients and turning their ideas into amazing designs. One person he worked with said, "Sometimes he produces something for the client that they don’t realize they want because he listens so well." Gehry believes that being curious is a big part of his creative process.

Criticism of His Work

While many people love Gehry's buildings, not everyone agrees. Some critics have said that his designs can be too expensive or don't always fit well with the buildings around them. Others have felt that his buildings sometimes have shapes that don't seem to have a clear purpose.

Teaching and Other Designs

Teaching Architecture

In 2011, Gehry became a professor of architecture at the University of Southern California, his old university. He has also taught at other famous universities like Harvard University and Yale University. Even though he is often called a "starchitect" (a star architect), he doesn't like the term and insists he is just an architect.

Exhibition and Stage Design

Gehry has designed many exhibitions for art museums, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He created displays for shows like "Art Treasures of Japan" and "Treasures of Tutankhamen." He also designed the installation for "The Art of the Motorcycle" exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

Beyond museums, Gehry has designed sets for dance performances and operas. In 1983, he created the stage design for Lucinda Childs' dance Available Light. In 2012, he designed the set for the Los Angeles Philharmonic's opera production of Don Giovanni.

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, like "Easy Edges" made from cardboard, and "Bentwood Furniture" named after hockey terms. He has also designed jewelry for Tiffany & Co., household items, sculptures, and even a glass bottle for Wyborowa Vodka.

Gehry is often inspired by fish. He said he started drawing fish because his colleagues were always looking back to Greek temples for inspiration. He thought, "Why stop at the Greeks? Fish were here 300 million years before humans!" This fascination led to his "Fish Lamps" and large fish sculptures like Fish Sculpture in Barcelona.

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

In 2004, Gehry designed the official trophy for the World Cup of Hockey, and he redesigned it again in 2016. In 2014, he was chosen by the French fashion house Louis Vuitton to design a piece using their famous monogram pattern. In 2015, he designed his first yacht.

Software for Architects

Gehry's firm also helped create new software for architecture. His company, Gehry Technologies, developed software like Digital Project and GTeam, which brought ideas from the aerospace and manufacturing industries to building design. This software helps architects create complex shapes more easily.

Personal Life

Frank Gehry is a citizen of both Canada and the United States. He lives in Santa Monica, California, and continues to work from Los Angeles. He is a big fan of ice hockey and even started a hockey league in his office.

Gehry is known for being direct. In 2014, he famously made a gesture at a reporter who called him a "showy" architect. He enjoys sailing his fiberglass yacht, Foggy.

Giving Back

Gehry is also involved in charity work. In 2014, he helped start Turnaround Arts: California, a group that helps bring art programs to schools that don't have many resources. He also serves on the leadership council of the New York Stem Cell Foundation.

He has designed several projects for free. In 2014, he started working pro-bono (without charge) on a plan to revitalize the Los Angeles River. In 2015, he designed a building for the Children's Institute in Watts, an organization that helps families affected by violence and poverty. He also designed the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) center, which provides free music training to students from disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Works and Exhibitions

Main article: List of works by Frank Gehry

Many museums and galleries have held exhibitions about Gehry's architecture and designs. These include the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. He has also contributed to the Venice Biennale, a major art and architecture exhibition.

In 2021, the Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills showed new fish sculptures by Gehry in an exhibition called Spinning Tales.

Awards and Honors

Gehry has received many awards and honors throughout his career, recognizing his important contributions to architecture.

Gehry was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1974 and has received many awards from the AIA.

Honorary Degrees

Gehry has also received many honorary degrees from universities around the world, including:

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Frank Gehry para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Frank Gehry Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.