Frank Gehry

Frank Owen Gehry, CC (born Ephraim Goldberg, February 28, 1929) is an architect known for his sculptural approach to building design. He is best known for building curvaceous structures, often covered with reflective metal. His most famous work, and the clearest expression of his style, is the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, which is covered in titanium.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Born in Toronto, Canada to a Jewish family, Gehry moved at age 17 to California, where he studied at Los Angeles City College before graduating from the University of Southern California School of Architecture. He then studied city planning at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He is today a naturalized American citizen and lives in Los Angeles.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Gehry's style is derived from late modernism. The tortured, warped forms of his structures are considered expressions of the deconstructivist (DeCon) school of modernist architecture. The DeCon movement departs from modernism in its de-emphasis of societal goals and functional necessity. Unlike early modernist structures, DeCon structures are not required to reflect specific social ideas (such as speed or universality of form), and they do not reflect a belief that form follows function. DeCon, which Gehry has continued to refine, is also known as the Santa Monica school of architecture. This region of the United States has produced the greatest range of experimentation in the field of DeCon design and contains the largest concentration of the structures.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Gehry is considered a modern architectural icon and celebrity. He has appeared in Apple's black and white "Think Different" pictorial ad campaign that associates offbeat but revered figures with Apple's design philosophy. He even once appeared as himself in an episode of "The Simpsons". His buildings, including his private residence, have become tourist attractions. Many museums, firms, and cities seek Gehry's services as a badge of distinction, regardless of the product he delivers.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Seattle's EMP Music Museum represents this phenomenon at its most extreme. Microsoft's Paul Allen chose Gehry as the architect of the urban structure to house his public collection of music history artifacts. While the result was undeniably unique, critical reaction came in the form of withering attacks. The bizarre color choices, the total disregard for architectural harmony with the built and natural surroundings, and the mammoth scale led to accusations that Gehry had simply "got it wrong." Admirers of the building remind critics that similar attacks were levelled against the Eiffel Tower in the late 19th century, and that only historical perspective would allow a fair evaluation of the building's merits.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Recently, Gehry has been criticised by some to be repeating himself, critics claiming the disjointed metal panoply that has become Gehry's trademark is perhaps overused. Almost all of his recent work seems derivative of his landmark Bilbao Guggenheim. (It should be noted, however, that while the Guggenheim was completed before Disney Hall, the latter was designed first.) His critics and admirers alike are watching with anticipation to see whether Gehry is able to produce equally compelling forms in a different idiom.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

CC: CC is 200 (number) in Roman numerals....

February 28: February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 306 days remaining, 307 in leap years....

1929: 1929 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar)....

Frank Gehry related Images and Photos (experimental)

Sketches of Frank Gehry DVD	Dancing House (Fred and Ginger Building) by Frank Gehry at Dusk Prague Czech Republic	Guggenheim Modern Art Museum Designed by Frank Gehry Bilbao Basque Country Euskadi Spain	Disney Concert Hall by Architect Frank Gehry
Guggenheim Museum Designed by American Architect Frank O. Gehry Opened 1997 Bilbao	Frank	Frank Gore	Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa	Frank Zappa	Frank Finlay	Frank Sinatra