Frank Gehry obituary
Canadian–American architect who explored crumpling and fish curves in such buildings as the Guggenheim Museum in BilbaoFrank Gehry, who has died aged 96 after a respiratory illness, influenced the course...
By Charles Jencks and Oliver Wainwright · The Guardian Culture
Canadian–American architect who explored crumpling and fish curves in such buildings as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao Frank Gehry, who has died aged 96 after a respiratory illness, influenced the course of world architecture at least twice. First, in the 1970s, with his informal ad hoc aesthetic, he showed how such material as chain-link fencing could be turned into an expressive art form. Secondly, in the 1990s, he showed how the computer could be used to help realise extraordinarily complex forms, unleashing the thrashing metallic fish of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and a fleet of similarly crumpled creations. When it opened in 1997, the titanium-covered Guggenheim captured the imagination of the architectural profession and the world’s media. It was hailed as the leading example of the new paradigm of computer-led design, and a convincing piece of urban sculpture, writhing along the riverbank, part palazzo, part ship. The impact on museums and the world of art was profound, as what became known as the “Bilbao effect” transformed the rust-belt city in northern Spain into a tourist destination. In two years, helped by the media feeding frenzy that accompanied its opening, Gehry’s museum was said to have added $400m to the city’s fortunes. Continue reading...