Visionary architect behind Guggenheim Bilbao, Frank Gehry dies

WEB DESK: Frank O. Gehry, one of the most influential and inventive architects of modern times, passed away on Friday at his Santa Monica, California home at the age of 96 following a brief respiratory illness, his chief of staff, Meaghan Lloyd, confirmed.

Gehry rose to international prominence with the 1997 unveiling of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in northern Spain. The titanium-clad, sculptural design transformed a declining industrial city into a cultural landmark and cemented Gehry’s reputation as a transformative figure in architecture, comparable in renown to Frank Lloyd Wright. Its dynamic, flowing forms symbolized a new era of expressive, emotionally resonant architecture.

Throughout his career, Gehry embraced innovative technologies, including computer-aided design, to realize his bold, sculptural visions. Among his celebrated works are the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles (2003), with its striking metallic exterior and cocoon-like interior; the New World Center in Miami (2011), featuring distinctive cylindrical rehearsal spaces; and the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris (2014), a glass-like structure noted for its ethereal, floating forms.

Gehry’s career began in earnest in 1978 with his radical renovation of a modest Cape Cod bungalow in Santa Monica, transforming it with unconventional materials such as plywood, corrugated metal, and chain-link fencing. This project marked the arrival of a daring architectural voice unafraid to challenge traditional forms.

Awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1989, Gehry’s body of work combined daring innovation with sculptural artistry, leaving a lasting legacy that reshaped the possibilities of contemporary architecture worldwide.