🔗 Share this article

Frank Gehry, who has died aged 96, influenced the course of contemporary building at least on two distinct occasions. Initially, in the 1970s, his informal aesthetic showed how materials like industrial fencing could be elevated into an powerful art form. Later, in the nineties, he demonstrated the use of computers to construct breathtakingly intricate forms, unleashing the undulating metallic fish of the Bilbao Guggenheim and a fleet of equally crumpled buildings.

An Architectural Paradigm Shift

Upon its opened in 1997, the shimmering titanium museum seized the attention of the design world and global media. The building was celebrated as the prime embodiment of a new paradigm of digitally-driven design and a convincing piece of urban sculpture, snaking along the waterfront, part palazzo and part ocean liner. The impact on cultural institutions and the art world was deep, as the so-called “Bilbao phenomenon” transformed a post-industrial city in Spain’s north into a major cultural hub. Within two years, aided by a media feeding frenzy, Gehry’s museum was credited with adding hundreds of millions to the local economy.

In the eyes of some, the spectacle of the container was deemed to overwhelm the artworks within. One critic contended that Gehry had “given his clients too much of what they want, a overpowering space that dwarfs the viewer, a striking icon that can circulate through the media as a global brand.”

Beyond any contemporary architect of his generation, Gehry expanded the role of architecture as a recognizable trademark. This branding prowess proved to be his key strength as well as a point of criticism, with some subsequent works veering toward repetitive formula.

From Toronto to the “Cheapskate Aesthetic”

{A unassuming character who wore T-shirts and baggy trousers, Gehry’s relaxed demeanor was key to his design philosophy—it was always innovative, accessible, and willing to take risks. Gregarious and ready to smile, he was “Frank” to his patrons, with whom he frequently maintained long friendships. Yet, he could also be brusque and cantankerous, particularly in his later life. On one notable occasion in 2014, he dismissed much modern architecture as “pure shit” and famously flashed a reporter the middle finger.

Born Canada, Frank was the son of Jewish immigrants. Facing antisemitism in his youth, he changed his surname from Goldberg to Gehry in his twenties, a move that eased his career path but later caused him remorse. Paradoxically, this early denial led him to later embrace his Jewish background and identity as an outsider.

He relocated to California in 1947 and, after stints as a lorry driver, obtained an architecture degree. After military service, he briefly studied city planning at Harvard but left, disillusioned. He then worked for practical modernists like Victor Gruen and William Pereira, an experience that cultivated what Gehry termed his “cheapskate aesthetic,” a raw or “dirty realism” that would inspire a wave of designers.

Finding Inspiration in the Path to Distinction

Prior to achieving his distinctive style, Gehry tackled minor renovations and studios for artists. Believing himself unappreciated by the Los Angeles architectural establishment, he sought camaraderie with artists for acceptance and inspiration. This led to fruitful friendships with figures like Robert Rauschenberg and Claes Oldenburg, from whom he learned the techniques of clever transformation and a “funk art” sensibility.

Inspired by more minimalist artists like Richard Serra, he learned the power of displacement and simplification. This blending of influences crystallized his unique aesthetic, perfectly suited to the West Coast zeitgeist of the 1970s. A major work was his 1978 residence in Santa Monica, a small house wrapped in chain-link and other everyday materials that became notorious—celebrated by the progressive but reviled by local residents.

Mastering the Machine: The Global Icon

The major evolution came when Gehry began utilizing digital technology, specifically CATIA, to translate his increasingly complex visions. The first full-scale fruit of this was the design for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao in 1991. Here, his explored themes of abstracted fish curves were unified in a coherent grammar clad in shimmering titanium, which became his trademark material.

The extraordinary impact of Bilbao—the “Bilbao effect”—reverberated worldwide and cemented Gehry’s status as a global starchitect. Major projects poured in: the concert hall in Los Angeles, a tower in New York, the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, and a campus building in Sydney that was likened to a stack of crumpled paper.

Gehry's celebrity extended beyond architecture; he was featured on *The Simpsons*, designed a hat for Lady Gaga, and worked with figures from Brad Pitt to Mark Zuckerberg. However, he also undertook modest and personal projects, such as a cancer care centre in Dundee, designed as a personal tribute.

Legacy and Personal Life

Frank Gehry received numerous accolades, including the Pritzker Prize (1989) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016). Central to his success was the steadfast support of his second wife, Berta Aguilera, who handled the business side of his firm. She, along with their two sons and a daughter from his first marriage, survive him.

Frank Owen Gehry, entered the world on February 28, 1929, has left a world permanently altered by his audacious exploration into form, software, and the very concept of what a building can be.