Frank Gehry "Frozen Movement"
January 25, 2016
Frank O. Gehry is often regarded as one of the most inventive and ground-breaking architects in the world today. Some of his works include the iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, and the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, France. Gehry’s works are truly unique in the way that they seamlessly blend the elements of art and architecture, and form and function. Gehry’s architectural style was, in part, a reaction against the perceived cold and often static nature of Modernist architecture that developed in the turn of the 20th century. In his work, Gehry engages dynamic, quirky designs that closely resemble free form sculpture in order to explore the expressive capabilities of buildings. Reno Piano, a friend of Gehry and contemporary architect, describes how “[Gehry’s] architecture is really like an explosion. It’s about energy; its about joy. It’s frozen movement.”
Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain. Photograph taken by User: MykReeve on 14 January, 2005. – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Escalate Collection proudly displays two Frank Gehry drawings from the “Puzzled” series on the third floor of Beckman. These sketches offer fascinating insight into the inner psychological workings of Gehry’s mind and his process for working through ideas. Looking at the sketches, one can see the architectural influence in how Gehry explores the construction and continuance of line, essentially building shape and form from nothing. Gehry’s sketches are distinctive in style, characterized by the same sense of fluidity and spontaneity that is three-dimensionally demonstrated in his architectural designs. Gehry described each project he worked on as “a sculptural object, a spatial container, a space with light and air.”
Frank Gehry, “Puzzled #4”,
Lithograph
, 2011
Gehry and his family immigrated to Los Angeles from Canada in 1947. He studied architecture at the University of Southern California (1949-51;1954) as well as city planning for a short time at Harvard University (1956-57). Gehry worked for several architectural firms before founding his own company, Frank O. Gehry & Associates, in 1962. Among Gehry’s many awards are the Pritzker Architecture Prize (1989), the National Medal of the Arts (1998), and the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal (1999).
Disney Administration Building designed by Gehry in Anaheim, CA. By Patrick Pelletier – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
If you’re interested in seeing more of Gehry’s amazing work, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is currently hosting a Frank Gehry exhibition until March 20th, 2016. You are also welcome to stop by the third floor of Beckman Hall at Chapman University to see “Puzzeled”, as well as many other works in our collection.
Frank Gehry, “Puzzled 3#”, Lithograph, 2011
