Architect Frank GehryHe is considered a master of deconstruction, with a variety of symbolic works, from Guggenheim Museum Bilbao until Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los AngelesHe died on Friday at the age of 96 at his home in Santa Monica “following a brief respiratory illness,” according to reports from his office.
Jerry was the greatest of the so-called com. starchitects (An elite group that included Renzo Piano, Rem Koolhaas and Norman Foster, among others) Although he enjoyed his fame, he hated the label.
“There are people who design buildings that are not technically or financially sound, and others who do,” Gehry said. The Independent In 2009. He added: “There are two categories, simple ones.”
His artistic genius and boldness were evident in his complex designs, such as the large glass “candles” at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris. Gehry popularized contemporary architecture and became a prominent figure, even appearing in a popular television series The Simpsons.
Frank Owen Goldberg (his real name) was born in Toronto on February 28, 1929 to a Jewish family that moved to the United States in the late 1940s.
He changed his last name to Jerry to avoid becoming a target of anti-Semitism. He studied architecture at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, graduating in 1954 before joining the US Army. He later continued his studies in urban planning at Harvard University, although he did not complete the program.
The 1970s and 1980s were the beginning of a long line of bold and innovative architectural achievements, many of them in Southern California. Close to California’s avant-garde “funk” art scene, Gehry’s deconstructive and experimental style is difficult to classify. Many of his buildings (irregularly shaped metal facades that can look like crumpled paper) could only be achieved with the aid of computer design tools, which he fully adopted.
One work in which this is best reflected is the remodeling of his home in Santa Monica from 1978, where he lived for a long time. There are corrugated metal wrappings around the original 1920s building. Gehry ended the 1980s with architecture’s highest honor: the Pritzker Prize, which was awarded to him in 1989.
Nearly a decade later, he presented what may be his most iconic design: The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, which gained him international fame and fame. The limestone and glasswork, with curved walls clad in titanium foil, is easily recognizable as Gehry’s design, and fellow American Philip Johnson once described it as “the greatest building of our time”.
The building has helped revitalize the former industrial heart of the city, attracting visitors from around the world and giving rise to the phrase “The Bilbao Effect” to explain how the beauty of architecture can transform a region. Buoyed by the success, Gehry took greater risks in his subsequent projects, including the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles (2003), the Beekman Tower in New York (2011), and the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris (2014).
Many of Gehry’s designs required complex calculations, and he pushed them to the extreme. For some time, architects have avoided using round or curved shapes because they cause headaches for engineers and significantly increase construction costs. Jerry opposed this and used 3D modeling software similar to those used by airlines. Thus, he was able to create unique shapes and keep costs in line with what developers were willing to pay for a more traditional building. The Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, whose walls and windows appear to have melted under the heat of the desert sun, is a classic example of the architect’s innovative vision. “I like to work. I like to solve problems,” he said. Guardian In 2019.
The Guggenheim Museum in Abu Dhabi will remain a legacy, and is scheduled to open in 2026, twenty years after the start of the project.