frank gehry dies at 96

"Born on February 28th, 1929, in Toronto, Gehry moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1947. He studied architecture at the University of Southern California and later attended the Harvard Graduate School of Design before establishing his own practice in 1962. His early work in Southern California, marked by unconventional materials and an experimental approach to form, laid the foundation for a career defined by restless innovation."

"Frank Gehry was best known for the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, which opened in 1997 and quickly became one of the most celebrated buildings of its era. Clad in rippling titanium panels and composed of sweeping, curvilinear forms, the museum drew worldwide attention and helped catalyze the economic and cultural revitalization of the former industrial city. Its impact was so significant that the 'Bilbao effect' entered the global architectural lexicon, describing how a single landmark building could shift a city's fortunes."

Frank Gehry died on Friday, December 5 at his home in Santa Monica, California, at age 96; his chief of staff Meaghan Lloyd confirmed a brief respiratory illness as the cause. Gehry was best known for the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, opened in 1997, clad in rippling titanium panels and sweeping curvilinear forms that catalyzed Bilbao's economic and cultural revitalization and coined the 'Bilbao effect.' Born February 28, 1929 in Toronto, he moved to Los Angeles in 1947, studied at USC and the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and established his own practice in 1962. His early Southern California work used unconventional materials and experimental forms. Over decades he produced major cultural works including the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Fondation Louis Vuitton, and the Vitra Design Museum, solidifying his influence on late twentieth and early twenty-first century architecture.

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