Frank Gehry: The architect of controlled chaos

wp:paragraph He is considered to be one of the most important living architects of the early 21st century. At 93, the American-Canadian architect...

Design MarketMarch 2022
wp:paragraph He is considered to be one of the most important living architects of the early 21st century. At 93, the American-Canadian architect Frank Gehry continues to fascinate the world of architecture, and more broadly the world of design and the arts, with his extraordinary buildings. How do you sum up a career that spans more than 6 decades? Rather than recounting a grand list of outstanding architectural achievements, we decided to talk about the architect's style through 7 major projects. Renowned first and foremost for his work as an architect, we're kicking off our selection with some designer furniture! Enjoy! /wp:paragraph wp:image {"id":16639, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: RTL In 1993, Frank Gehry completed the American Center, a building that was to become the Cinémathèque française (Paris) in 2005. Construction or deconstruction? Frank Gehry's buildings are not without reaction. In 1993, Frank Gehry completed the construction of the American Center, a building that was to become the Cinémathèque française (Paris) in 2005. Construction or deconstruction? Frank Gehry's buildings don't leave you speechless. /wp:image wp:paragraph Frank Gehry was born into a relatively poor family of Polish-Jewish immigrants. His father left the United States and Brooklyn to seek a better life in Canada, where he married in 1926. Frank Gehry was born in Toronto in 1929. The Gehry family returned to the United States at the end of the 1940s to settle in the more conciliatory climate of California, in Los Angeles. Encouraged by ceramist and glassmaker Glen Williams Lukens, Gehry junior entered the School of Architecture at the University of South California, graduating in 1954 as one of the top students in his class. Frank Gehry came from a fairly poor family of Polish-Jewish immigrants. His father left the United States and Brooklyn to seek a better life in Canada, where he married in 1926. Frank Gehry was born in Toronto in 1929. The Gehry family returned to the United States at the end of the 1940s to settle in the more conciliatory climate of California, in Los Angeles. Encouraged by ceramist and glassmaker Glen Williams Lukens, Gehry junior entered the School of Architecture at the University of South California, graduating in 1954 as one of the top students in his class. /wp:paragraph wp:image {"id":16666, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Notes de style Frank Gehry, portrait Frank Gehry, portrait /wp:image wp:paragraph He began his career at the end of the 1950s, working successively in various architectural practices, but feeling that he did not fit in with the architectural mainstream of the time. In 1962, he set up his own architectural practice in Los Angeles, which is still active today. He began his career at the end of the 1950s and worked in a succession of different architectural practices, but felt that he had no place in the architectural mainstream of the time. So in 1962 he set up his own architectural practice in Los Angeles, which is still active today. /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Gehry's career took off in the late 1970s, but in 1972 he designed a sinuous seat that became iconic: the Wiggle Side Chair. A tribute to Rietveld's famous Zig-Zag chair, it was made from thick sheets of laminated cardboard and sold for the modest price of $15. The designer wanted to make design accessible. Despite its success, he decided to withdraw it from the market, as his main aim was to become recognised as an architect! /wp:paragraph wp:image {"id":16652, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Design Market Wriggle Side Chair, designed by Frank Gehry, 1972. The Wiggle Side Chair is part of the "Easy Edges" furniture series. The cardboard sheets are arranged at right angles and glued together. An ordinary material, cardboard takes on a new aesthetic dimension. Gehry's sense of curves is already apparent. Wriggle Side Chair, designed by Frank Gehry, 1972. The Wiggle Side Chair is part of the "Easy Edges" furniture series. The cardboard sheets are arranged at right angles and glued together. An ordinary material, cardboard takes on a new aesthetic dimension. Gehry's sense of the curve is already apparent. /wp:image wp:image {"id":16647, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Esprit Design Blog Wriggle Side Chair, design Frank Gehry, 1972. Detail of the backrest. A piece of furniture that's both light and strong. The "Easy Edges" furniture series is distributed by Swiss publisher Vitra. Wriggle Side Chair, design by Frank Gehry, 1972. Detail of the backrest. A piece of furniture that is both light and strong. The "Easy Edges" furniture series is distributed by the Swiss publisher Vitra. /wp:image wp:paragraph In 1978, Frank Gehry pulled off a coup that made him a household name. Together with his wife, he bought a pink-coloured bungalow in the Dutch colonial style, which he completely remodelled in his own way. Some consider this work to be the 1st deconstructivist building. Gehry created an extension that was a patchwork of different materials: metal, plywood, metal fencing, corrugated iron and a wooden frame. His idea was to build a new envelope around the original house. In 1978, Frank Gehry pulled off a coup that made him a household name. Together with his wife, he bought a pink-coloured bungalow in the Dutch colonial style, which he completely remodelled in his own way. Some consider this work to be the 1st deconstructivist building. Gehry created an extension that was a patchwork of different materials: metal, plywood, metal fencing, corrugated iron and a wooden frame. His idea: to build a new envelope around the original house. /wp:paragraph wp:image {"id":16663, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: netropolitan.org Gerhy Residence, Frank Gerhy's home in Santa Monica, seen from the main entrance, wedged between angular structures created in glass, wood and aluminium Gerhy Residence, Frank Gerhy's home in Santa Monica, seen from the main entrance, wedged between angular structures created in glass, wood and aluminium . /wp:image wp:image {"id":16658, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Liao Yushen Gerhy Residence, Frank Gerhy's house in Santa Monica, built in 1978. The house was extended a second time in 1991 in a less deconstructivist and more harmonious style. Gerhy Residence, Frank Gerhy's house in Santa Monica, built in 1978. The house was enlarged a second time in 1991 in a less deconstructivist and more harmonious style. /wp:image wp:image {"id":16659, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Liao Yushen Gerhy Residence, Frank Gerhy's house in Santa Monica, built in 1978. Parts of the house are trapped in tilted glass cubes. Gerhy Residence, Frank Gerhy's house in Santa Monica, built in 1978. Parts of the house are trapped in tilted glass cubes. /wp:image wp:image {"id":16660, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Liao Yushen Gerhy Residence, Frank Gerhy's house in Santa Monica, built in 1978. Gerhy Residence, Frank Gerhy's house in Santa Monica, built in 1978. /wp:image wp:image {"id":16661, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Liao Yushen Gerhy Residence, Frank Gerhy's house in Santa Monica, built in 1978 Gerhy Residence, Frank Gerhy's house in Santa Monica, built in 1978. /wp:image wp:image {"id":16662, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Liao Yushen Gehry Residence, Frank Gehry's house in Santa Monica, built in 1978. View of the interior. Gehry Residence, Frank Gehry's house in Santa Monica, built in 1978. View of the interior. /wp:image wp:paragraph With his house, Frank Gehry laid the foundations of his architectural style, marked by deconstruction. He is thus associated with the deconstructivist movement. In so doing, he opposes the modernist trend in architecture led by the Bauhaus School and its most brilliant representatives (Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer) and Le Corbusier (among others), which subsequently became known as the International Style. We are also a long way from the highly avant-garde De Stijl movement. /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Gerhy abhors straight lines and geometric lines in general. He also rejects the link between function and form. That's why his iconoclastic style is so disturbing and controversial. Gerhy abhors straight lines and geometric lines in general. He also rejects the link between function and form. That's why his iconoclastic style is so disturbing and controversial. /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Frank Gehry is an open-minded man who loves contemporary art, as demonstrated by the Binoculars Buildings, a series of 3 buildings of different styles, built between 1985 and 1991, with a sculpture in the shape of a pair of binoculars designed by the artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. /wp:paragraph wp:image {"id":16635, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: LA Times Binoculars Buildings, Venice, a district in the west of the city of Los Angeles. Architect: Frank Gehry, 1985-1991. In the centre, you can see the famous pair of binoculars: their eyepieces act as skylights. Binoculars Buildings, Venice, a district in the west of the city of Los Angeles. Architect: Frank Gehry, 1985-1991. In the centre, you can see the famous pair of binoculars: their eyepieces act as skylights. /wp:image wp:image {"id":16654, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Victor Leung Binoculars Buildings, Venice, a district in the west of the city of Los Angeles. View of the central building designed by artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. The twins serve as entrances to the complex for cars and pedestrians. They are highly characteristic of Oldenburg's aesthetic as applied to large-scale functional objects. Binoculars Buildings, Venice, a district in the west of the city of Los Angeles. View of the central building by artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. The twins serve as entrances to the complex for cars and pedestrians. They are highly characteristic of Oldenburg's aesthetic as applied to large-scale functional objects. /wp:image wp:paragraph In 1997, with the completion of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao (Spain), Frank Gehry became one of the most influential architects in the world. Gehry succeeded in materialising what he had in mind: a building with organic shapes and undulations, a veritable architectural feat that pushes the logic of deconstruction to the limit. The shapes have no geometric reason and are not governed by any law! /wp:paragraph wp:image {"id":16650, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Guggenheim Bilbao Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, architect: Frank Gehry, 1993-1997. An avant-garde building, a sculpture in its own right that blends into the urban landscape of the Basque city. Gehry combined 3 main materials: stone, glass and titanium. Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, architect: Frank Gehry, 1993-1997. An avant-garde building, a sculpture in its own right that blends into the urban landscape of the Basque city. Gehry combined 3 main materials: stone, glass and titanium. /wp:image wp:image {"id":16634, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: floornature Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, architect: Frank Gehry, 1993-1997. According to the architect, "the randomness of the curves is designed to catch the light". Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, architect: Frank Gehry, 1993-1997. According to the architect: "the randomness of the curves is designed to capture the light". /wp:image wp:image {"id":16657, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Dosde Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, architect: Frank Gehry, 1993-1997. Panoramic view of the museum. Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, architect: Frank Gehry, 1993-1997. Panoramic view of the museum. /wp:image wp:image {"id":16638, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Floornature Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, architect: Frank Gehry, 1993-1997. The building's exterior cladding is made of titanium. A total of 33,000 thin sheets of titanium have been installed, changing colour according to atmospheric variations. Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, architect: Frank Gehry, 1993-1997. The building's exterior cladding is made of titanium. A total of 33,000 thin titanium plates have been installed, changing colour according to atmospheric variations. /wp:image wp:image {"id":16636, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Floornature Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, architect: Frank Gehry, 1993-1997. Incredible curves... Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, architect: Frank Gehry, 1993-1997. Incredible curves... /wp:image wp:image {"id":16651, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Dosde Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, architect: Frank Gehry, 1993-1997. View of the interior, a "cathedral" of stone and glass. Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, architect: Frank Gehry, 1993-1997. View of the interior, a "cathedral" of stone and glass. /wp:image wp:image {"id":16664, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Dosde Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, architect: Frank Gehry, 1993-1997. Interior view Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, architect: Frank Gehry, 1993-1997. Interior view /wp:image wp:paragraph Another example of the architect's creative, unstructured genius is the Hotel Marquès de Riscal , located in the Rioja Alavesa region of Spain. A unique, avant-garde design set amidst vineyards. Here you can see the wp:paragraph wp:image {"id":16645, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Thomas Mayer View of the Marquès de Riscal hotel, Elciego, architecture: Frank Gerhy, 2003-2006. The building is part of the new Marqués de Riscal winery complex, a Spanish group of companies dedicated to the wine industry, wedged between village and vineyards. View of the Marquès de Riscal Hotel, Elciego, architecture: Frank Gerhy, 2003-2006. The building is part of the new Marqués de Riscal winery complex, a Spanish group of companies dedicated to the wine industry, wedged between village and vineyards. /wp:image wp:image {"id":16643, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Adrian Tyler Hotel Marquès de Riscal, Elciego, architecture: Frank Gerhy, 2003-2006. The curved lines and volutes of the roof give rhythm to the elegance of the building. Hotel Marquès de Riscal, Elciego, architecture: Frank Gerhy, 2003-2006. The curved lines and scrolls of the roof give rhythm to the elegance of the building. /wp:image wp:image {"id":16642, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Adrian Tyler Hotel Marquès de Riscal, Elciego, architecture: Frank Gerhy, 2003-2006, back view of the natural blond sandstone building that blends into the village of Elciego. The building is 35 metres high, no higher than the church tower, to preserve the charm and identity of the wine-growing village. Hotel Marquès de Riscal, Elciego, architecture: Frank Gerhy, 2003-2006, rear view of the natural blonde sandstone building, which blends in with the village of Elciego. The building is 35 metres high, no higher than the church tower, to preserve the charm and identity of the wine village. /wp:image wp:image {"id":16641, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Thomas Mayer Hôtel Marquès de Riscal, Elciego, architecture: Frank Gerhy, 2003-2006, detail of the building. Cascades of titanium, a material highly prized by the architect Hotel Marquès de Riscal, Elciego, architecture: Frank Gerhy, 2003-2006, detail of the building. Cascades of titanium, a material highly prized by the architect. /wp:image wp:image {"id":16644, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Duccio Malagamba Hôtel Marquès de Riscal, Elciego, architecture: Frank Gerhy, 2003-2006, detail of the building. The pink titanium refers to the wine, the gold titanium to the mesh of the bottles, and the mirror-finish stainless steel refers to the cap covering the neck of the bottle. Hôtel Marquès de Riscal, Elciego, architecture: Frank Gerhy, 2003-2006, detail of the building. The pink titanium refers to the wine, the gold titanium to the mesh of the bottles, and the mirror-finish stainless steel refers to the cap covering the neck of the bottle. /wp:image wp:image {"id":16656, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Hôtel Marquès de Riscal Hôtel Marquès de Riscal, Elciego, architecture: Frank Gerhy, 2003-2006, view of the inside of a room. Hotel Marquès de Riscal, Elciego, architecture: Frank Gerhy, 2003-2006, view of the inside of a room. /wp:image wp:image {"id":16655, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Hôtel Marquès de Riscal Hôtel Marquès de Riscal, Elciego, architecture: Frank Gerhy, 2003-2006, view of the panoramic terrace of the Hotel's restaurant Hôtel Marquès de Riscal, Elciego, architecture: Frank Gerhy, 2003-2006, view of the panoramic terrace of the Hotel's restaurant. /wp:image wp:paragraph 1 year later, the architect, who has become a superstar, began work on an equally astonishing building: the Lou Ruvo Brain Center for Health in Las Vegas (2007-2010). Once again, we can speak of an architectural sculpture animated by movement, which, from the architect's point of view, expresses a "feeling". /wp:paragraph wp:image {"id":16637, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Pinterest Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health clinic, Las Vegas, architect: Frank O. Gehry, 2007-2010. A moving architecture suggested by the impression of a wave distorting the outer envelope of the building. Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health Clinic, Las Vegas, architect: Frank O. Gehry, 2007-2010. A moving architecture suggested by the impression of a wave deforming the outer envelope of the building. /wp:image wp:image {"id":16648, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Neosquat Lou Ruvo Clinic for Brain Health, Las Vegas, architect: Frank O. Gehry, 2007-2010. The building has 199 windows, each one different from the next! The steel envelope was laser-cut. Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Las Vegas, architect: Frank O. Gehry, 2007-2010. The building has 199 windows, all different! The steel shell was laser-cut. /wp:image wp:image {"id":16649, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Eliinbar Lou Ruvo Clinic for Brain Health, Las Vegas, architect: Frank O. Gehry, 2007-2010. View of a reception area inside the building. Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health Clinic, Las Vegas, architect: Frank O. Gehry, 2007-2010. View of a reception area inside the building /wp:image wp:paragraph While Frank Gerhy makes the buildings he builds 'dance' - he co-designed the aptly-named Maison Dansante in Prague in 1996 :-) - he also enjoys practising his art. -He also likes to practice his art vertically. Such is the case with one of the architect's latest great "follies": the Fondation Luma in Arles. An anti-conformist, a progressive, as he likes to define himself, Frank Gerhy and his work rarely leave anyone indifferent: an indelible mark on the history of contemporary architecture... /wp:paragraph wp:image {"id":16665, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: La France Agricole Fondation artistique Luma, Arles, architect: Frank Gehry, 2007-2019. A pharaonic project that took ten years to complete, the Luma is 56 m high (12 storeys), and its façade comprises 11,000 stainless steel bricks, including 53 glass boxes. It features the "twisted" style that the architect likes to imprint on his buildings. Fondation artistique Luma, Arles, architect: Frank Gehry, 2007-2019. A pharaonic project that took ten years to complete, the Luma is 56 m high (12 storeys), with a façade comprising 11,000 stainless steel bricks, including 53 glass boxes. The "twisted" style that the architect likes to imprint on his buildings is evident. /wp:image wp:image {"id":16667, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: IWAN BAAN, ADRIAN DEWEERDT, MARC DOMAGE Fondation artistique Luma, Arles, architect: Frank Gehry, 2007-2019. The Foundation is part of the Parc des Ateliers de LUMA Arles. A place for artistic life that brings together exhibitions, conferences, live performances, architecture and design... Luma Artistic Foundation, Arles, architect: Frank Gehry, 2007-2019. The Foundation is part of the Parc des Ateliers de LUMA Arles. A place for the arts that brings together exhibitions, conferences, live performances, architecture and design... /wp:image wp:image {"id":16668, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Connaissance des arts Fondation artistique Luma, Arles, architect: Frank Gehry, 2007-2019. At the foot of the tower is a glass rotunda inspired by the Arles arenas. Fondation artistique Luma, Arles, architect: Frank Gehry, 2007-2019. At the foot of the tower is a glass rotunda inspired by the Arles bullring /wp:image wp:image {"id":16640, "sizeSlug": "large", "linkDestination": "none"} Photo credit: Adrian Deweerdt Fondation artistique Luma, Arles, architect: Frank Gehry, 2007-2019. The Tour Luma at sunset: a play of reflections. 3 main materials make up the tower: steel, concrete and glass Fondation artistique Luma, Arles, architect: Frank Gehry, 2007-2019. The Tour Luma at sunset: a play of reflections. 3 main materials make up the tower: steel, concrete and glass. /wp:image wp:paragraph {"align": "right"} François Boutard François Boutard /wp:paragraph

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