Frank Gehry
Architect, Walt Disney Concert Hall
The designs of Frank Gehry—one of the most innovative architects of the modern era—grace numerous metropolitan skylines around the world.
Known for the creative use of materials and experimentation with sculptural forms, Gehry’s buildings incorporate a wealth of textures that lend a sense of movement to his dynamic structures. This innovation and interest in unexpected materials can be seen early in his career with Easy Edges (1969–73) and Experimental Edges (1979–82), a series of chairs and tables made of industrial corrugated cardboard, and the later Knoll furniture series (1989–92), which was made from pliable bentwood. Gehry was also commissioned by Formica Corp. to use ColorCore, a translucent plastic laminate product, in a series of lamps consisting of radiant snake and fish forms (1983–86). These first Fish Lamps were shown in Frank Gehry: Unique Lamps at the original Gagosian Gallery in Los Angeles in 1984. The fish became a recurring motif in Gehry’s work, including the Fish Sculpture at Vila Olímpica in Barcelona, Spain (1989–92) and the Standing Glass Fish for the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden (1986). It can also be recognized in the undulating, curvilinear forms of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain (1991–97).
Gehry was born in 1929 in Toronto, Canada. He received a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1954 from the University of Southern California and completed graduate coursework in city planning at Harvard University. Gehry’s drawings, models, designs, and sculptures have been exhibited in major museums throughout the world. Solo exhibitions include Frank Gehry: Architect, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (2001); Frank Gehry, Architect: Designs for Museums, Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis (2003, traveled to Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC); Frank O. Gehry since 1997, Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany (2010); Frank Gehry/Fondation Louis Vuitton, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris (2014); Frank Gehry, Centre Pompidou, Paris (2014) and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2015); I Have an Idea, 21_21 Design Sight, Tokyo (2015); and Fondation Louis Vuitton Building in Paris by Frank Gehry, Espace Louis Vuitton, Venice, Italy (2016). Among Gehry’s most celebrated buildings are the Vitra International Manufacturing Facility and Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany (1989); Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain (1997); Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles (2003); Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris (2014); University of Technology Sydney Business School, Sydney, Australia (2015); and the LUMA / Parc des Ateliers in Arles, France (2021).
Gehry received numerous awards and honors, including the Pritzker Architecture Prize (1989); Wolf Prize in Arts (1992); Praemium Imperiale in Architecture, Japan Art Association (1992); Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize (1994); Chrysler Design Award (1995); US National Medal of Arts (1998); Gold Medal, American Institute of Architects (1999); Royal Gold Medal, Royal Institute of British Architects (2000); Lifetime Achievement Award, Americans for the Arts (2000); Henry C. Turner Prize for Innovation in Construction Technology (2007); and US Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016).
Gehry lived and worked in Los Angeles.
Image Gallery
5 Images
Watch & Listen
Great Performances: The LA Phil Celebrates Frank Gehry on PBS
Watch the unforgettable 2023 Gala, featuring Herbie Hancock, H.E.R., Lucinda Childs, Geneva Lewis, and more on the award-winning signature PBS series.
Frank Gehry and Esa-Pekka Salonen reminisce about the first notes at Walt Disney Concert Hall
Gehry and Salonen mark Walt Disney Concert Hall's 20th with a nostalgic chat on its inception, joined by Getty's Senior Curator for a musical remembrance.
Architecture as a Medium
Walt Disney Concert Hall transcends its function to become an emblem of innovative musical programming.
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Walt Disney Concert Hall
Past Events
Modeling Sound:
An Evening with Frank Gehry and Esa-Pekka Salonen
Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Walt Disney Concert Hall
The Triadic Ballet
Costumes by Oskar Schlemmer