Gehry on L.A., art (and Gehry)
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao,1997. Photo by ©David Heald, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York
NOT THE MET: Gehry calls his Guggenheim Bilbao “an antidote to the Metropolitan Museum syndrome.”
The book ‘Conversations With Frank Gehry’ serves as a blueprint for his mind-set, philosophies and the making of many of his major works.
In “Conversations With Frank Gehry,” Los Angeles writer Barbara Isenberg talks with the Pritzker Prize-winning architect, who’s behind such iconic buildings as Walt Disney Concert Hall and Guggenheim Bilbao. They cover his life, pivotal career moments, including the competition for Bilbao, and influences. Following are exclusive excerpts from the book, published by Alfred A. Knopf, which goes on sale Tuesday.
Is there a Los Angeles style of architecture?
Los Angeles has an incredible light and a forgiving climate. You don’t have to use double glazing, and you don’t have to think about snow loads and snow conditions. The further south you go, the more open you can get. But the generation after me is working all over the world, like I am, so we’ve had to adapt to other climates. I had to adapt to a northern climate in Bilbao.
Do you take a Los Angeles sensibility with you?
It’s not so contrived. You just go for the bigger picture, I think. At least I do.