On a
CBS Sunday morning show on this date, there was an extended interview with Frank Gehry. First off, Gehry is not his last name. He changed his name because of his own experience as a second generation
Jewish immigrant.
Second, unlike Frank Lloyd Wright, the architect who he is often compared to, he is quite shy and humble. He seemed uncomfortable with the fame his work has brought to him and often has negative things to say about his own buildings, if he comments at all.
Third, this is an artist who sees structures and spaces in a way few have every done. He perceives all modern architecture to be "at odds" with older work, and so extrapolates that to the extreme. He also finds inspiration in other art forms: citing the Dutch artist Vermeer and the movie idols Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. He fashioned a flowing, fabric like roof after seeing a painting that captured the feel of folded linen and he designed an office building in Prague that mirrors a couple dancing close together, with what appears to be one side folding into the other.
When asked how computer generated blueprints and design had changed his work, he laughed.
"I don't have any idea how any of that works"
sources:CBS news-Sunday morning -7/28/02
frank-gehry.com