Frank Gehry is a Los Angeles-based architect. He frequently attempted to construct imaginary cities and homes as a child using items from his grandmother’s hardware store. The same is true of his designs, which are defined by their unconventional fabrications and bold, modern shapes. He earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Southern California and then attended Harvard. Indeed, he enrolled at Harvard School of Design following his 1956 marriage to Anita Snyder. Frank left Harvard for California, where he founded the “Easy Edges” line of cardboard furniture. It was his Santa Monica home’s renovation. He was, however, more interested in architecture than furniture and went on to create much larger designs. The EMP Museum in Seattle, Washington, and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, are two notable examples. Apart from architecture, he also designed other items such as furniture, jewelry, and clothing. Though he is not known to have joined a political party, his views have consistently been leftist. As a well-known personality, he has appeared in a number of popular television shows, including The Simpsons.
Childhood and Adolescence
Frank Goldberg was born in Toronto, Canada, on February 28, 1929, to Irwin and Thelma Goldberg. In 1947, as a teenager, he moved to Los Angeles and became a naturalized US citizen.
He developed an early interest in architecture. He fantasized about constructing imaginary homes out of salvaged hardware from his grandmother’s hardware store.
Contrary to popular belief, he was initially uncertain about his career. He worked as a delivery driver to support himself while enrolled in various courses at Los Angeles City College.
He enrolled in his first architecture course on a whim. He immediately took a liking to it, and an early chance encounter with renowned architect Raphael Soriano solidified his faith in art.
He was awarded scholarships to attend the University of Southern California to study architecture. He graduated from this institution in 1954.
He began working for the Los Angeles firm Victor Gruen Associates as a full-time job. Despite the fact that he was an intern here, his work was disrupted by mandatory military service.
He spent a brief time with Pereira and Luckman after becoming dissatisfied with Gruen Associates. He quickly returned to Gruen Associates, a successful utilitarian firm.
Career of Frank
Following his tenures with Victor Gruen Associates, his restless nature drew him to found Gehry Associates. This occurred following his return to Los Angeles in 1962.
He spent significant time with painters such as Ed Moses, Ed Ruscha, and Bob Irwin. During this time period, he felt compelled to develop his own vision of the styles they adopted.
His first brush with fame occurred when his industrial corrugated cardboard gained unexpected popularity. This furniture line, dubbed Easy Edges, was featured in several large magazine spreads.
He designed the headquarters of the Rouse Company in Columbia, Maryland, as well as the Santa Monica shopping mall. He also created imaginative homes for a number of his artist friends.
While he continued to design buildings in his hometown of California, he also received several national and international commissions. Among his designs, the Chiat/Day building in Venice (1991) is notable for its binocular structures.
He is well-known for his contributions to music and academia, having designed several academic and music centers. A well-known academic center of this type is the Stata Center at MIT, which opened in 2004.
He has consistently been lauded for his willingness to experiment by both experts and critics. The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao was dubbed a “masterpiece of the twentieth century” by The New Yorker Magazine.
According to experts, his construction style falls under the category of Deconstructivism. It deviates significantly from conventional structural definition modalities.
While his style occasionally appears crude, it is consistent with the 1960s and early 1970s California funk art movement. Construction materials such as clay were used sparingly and unconventionally during this movement.
Apart from architecture, he also designed furniture and jewelry for his own line. This was done in collaboration with Tiffany & Co. He frequently asserts that he uses furniture making as a ‘quick fix.’
Additionally, his firm pioneered the development of architectural design software. It spun off another company, Gehry Technologies, which resulted in the establishment of Digital Project.
Numerous universities have bestowed upon him Honorary Doctorates. Additionally, he is a Design Futures Council Senior Fellow.
While the majority of his architecture has received favorable reviews, some critics believe he wastes considerable resources when creating designs. His formless forms frequently appear to be out of place in their environment.
Works of Significant Value
The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles is one of his most recognizable works. This 2003 masterpiece, endowed with extraordinary acoustics, was dubbed the “crown jewel” of neighborhood revitalization.
In February 2011, Gehry completed his first skyscraper, the New York by Gehry at 8 Spruce Street. It stands 76 stories tall and features a stainless steel and glass exterior.
Foster + Partners appointed him as a co-architect for the High Street phase of Battersea in London. This will be his first project in London, and it will include both residences and hotels.
Achievements and honors
He was named the Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize laureate in 1977. The American Academy of Arts and Letters bestowed upon him this honor.
In 1989, he was presented with the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize. This is the highest honor he has received in his field.
The American Institute of Arts presented him with a Gold Medal in 1999. It was bestowed upon him specifically for his work in the United States, though he is also well-known for his awe-inspiring designs throughout Europe and Asia.
In 2003, the European Academy of Sciences and Arts inducted this master architect. He was also appointed Companion to the Order of Canada the following year.
Personal History and Endowment
His mother frequently took him to concerts and museums throughout the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As he possessed a creative streak, this is how he developed an affinity for architecture.
In 1952, he wedded Anita Snyder. He changed his surname to Frank O. Gehry in 1956, four years after marrying Anita. It was her suggestion, given his encounters with anti-Semitism as a child and as an undergraduate.
He and his family relocated to Cambridge in 1956 to pursue a degree in urban planning at Harvard. He did, however, abandon the course halfway through, discouraged.
He married Berta Isabela Aguilera in 1975 after divorcing Anita in 1966. He is the father of two daughters from a previous marriage and two sons from a subsequent marriage.
Estimated Net Worth
Frank Gehry’s net worth is $100 million. He is a Canadian-American architect. Frank Gehry was born in February 1929 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Many of Gehry’s structures have become internationally renowned tourist attractions, including his Santa Monica, California, private residence. According to the 2010 World Architecture Survey, Gehry’s works are among the most significant in contemporary architecture worldwide, and Vanity Fair named Frank “the most important architect of our generation” the same year.
Trivia
Numerous structures he designed have become world-famous landmarks. This also includes his Santa Monica residence, which was instrumental in catapulting his career forward.
This renowned architect has appeared in a number of architecture-themed documentaries. The Cool School is one of them, while My Architect: A Son’s Journey is another.