American architect Frank Gehry, renowned for his groundbreaking designs including Prague‘s Dancing House, has died at the age of 95.The news marks the loss of one of the 20th and 21st centuries’ most influential architects, whose deconstructivist style reshaped city skylines worldwide and challenged conventional building norms.
Gehry’s death concludes a career spanning seven decades,leaving behind a legacy of iconic structures that blend art and architecture. Born Ephraim Owen Goldberg on February 28, 1929, in Toronto, Canada, to Polish Jewish immigrants, Gehry rose from humble beginnings to become a global architectural icon, receiving the prestigious Pritzker Prize in 1989. His work continues to inspire architects and captivate audiences with its sculptural forms and innovative use of materials.
Gehry’s early life shaped his resourceful approach to design.His family relocated to Los Angeles, where he earned a degree from the University of Southern California in 1951 and later studied urban planning at Harvard university (1956-1957).He founded his firm in Los Angeles in 1962, initially focusing on commercial projects.
A turning point came with the 1978 remodeling of his own Santa Monica home. Utilizing inexpensive materials like wire fencing and corrugated iron, Gehry created a deliberately unconventional structure that initially drew criticism from neighbors. “It wasn’t a provocation, I just didn’t have enough money to rebuild,” Gehry explained. “Than I thought it was aesthetically engaging. so why not turn low cost into an advantage?”
Beyond his residential work, Gehry gained international acclaim for projects like the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the Dancing House in Prague, completed in 1996 in collaboration with Vlado Milunić. His designs are characterized by their dynamic, frequently enough titanium-clad forms, pushing the boundaries of architectural possibility.
