Architect Frank Gehry has died: See his most iconic buildings
Architect Frank Gehry died Friday after a brief respiratory illness in his Santa Monica, Calif. home, the New York Times reports. He was 96.
The Canada-born Gehry was hailed as the “most important architect of our age” by Vanity Fair in 2010. Known for his dynamic building designs that used unexpected materials and often seemed to defy logic and gravity, Gehry made a name for himself in 1978, when he redesigned his Santa Monica home utilizing industrial materials such as chain-link fencing. Since then, he has crafted many unique buildings around the world that have become tourist attractions in their own right.
Below are some of Gehry’s most famous works.
Gehry House (1978)
The Gehry House in Santa Monica, Calif. (IK's World Trip/Wikicommons)
Gehry’s home in Santa Monica was originally a Dutch colonial-style house built in the 1920s. Gehry built upon the original structure using materials like corrugated metal, chain link and glass. Although the unconventional design alienated some neighbors, it became a tourist attraction. Gehry resided there for four decades.
Vitra Design Museum (1989)
Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany. (Wladyslaw/Wikicommons)
The museum dedicated to design, located in Weil am Rhein, Germany, was the architect’s first building in Europe. It was built with white plaster and a titanium-zinc alloy and is considered an example of the postmodern deconstructivist architecture style.
Dancing House (1996)
The Dancing House in Prague, Czech Republic. (Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Designed by Gehry and renowned architect Vlado Milunić, the dynamic building located in Prague — which contains a restaurant as well as a gallery — is meant to represent actors and dance partners Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
Guggenheim Bilbao (1997)
Guggenheim Bilbao in Bilbao, Spain. (Naotake Murayama/Wikicommons)
The Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for LAPA)
Lillian Disney donated $50 million for the creation of a new concert hall in honor of her late husband, Walt Disney. Gehry, one of four architects who sought the project, ultimately won the job. For the downtown Los Angeles building, Gehry utilized curved stainless steel, which created the illusion of a building covered in silver sails.
IAC Building (2007)
IAC Headquarters Building in New York City. (~~×α£đ~~es/Wikicommons)
The Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas. (Monster4711/Wikicommons)
The Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas was designed as a research and care facility for neurological diseases. Though Gehry had originally turned down projects in Las Vegas, he was persuaded by entrepreneur Larry Ruvo, who commissioned the project, after Ruvo stated he would include Huntington’s research at the campus, a cause that Gehry had long supported. Like many of Gehry’s works, the building’s steel surface creates a constantly changing effect as it catches the light.
Foundation Louis Vuitton (2014)
The Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. (piotr iłowiecki/Wikicommons)
The Paris building, which houses art exhibits, was designed to capture the look of an iceberg. The complex design required special software, created by Gehry Technologies, to craft the unique shapes used in the architecture.