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Frank Gehry, who passed away aged 96, influenced the trajectory of contemporary building at least twice. First, in the 1970s, his ad hoc style demonstrated how everyday materials like wire mesh could be elevated into an powerful art form. Second, in the nineties, he pioneered the use of digital tools to construct extraordinarily complex shapes, unleashing the undulating titanium curves of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and a series of equally crumpled buildings.

The Bilbao Effect: A Turning Point

After it opened in 1997, the titanium-covered Guggenheim seized the imagination of the design world and international media. It was hailed as the prime embodiment of a new era of computer-led design and a convincing piece of civic art, writhing along the riverbank, a blend of palazzo and part ocean liner. Its influence on museums and the art world was profound, as the so-called “Bilbao phenomenon” revitalized a post-industrial city in Spain’s north into a major tourist destination. Within two years, fueled by a media feeding frenzy, Gehry’s museum was credited with adding hundreds of millions to the local economy.

Critics argued, the dazzling exterior of the building was deemed to overwhelm the artworks within. One critic contended that Gehry had “given his clients too much of what they desire, a sublime space that overwhelms the viewer, a striking icon that can travel through the media as a brand.”

Beyond any other architect of his era, Gehry expanded the role of architecture as a commercial brand. This marketing power proved to be his greatest asset as well as a point of criticism, with some subsequent works descending into repetitive formula.

Early Life and “Cheapskate Aesthetic”

{A unassuming everyman who wore casual attire, Gehry’s informal demeanor was key to his architecture—it was always innovative, inclusive, and willing to take risks. Gregarious and ready to grin, he was “Frank” to his patrons, with whom he often maintained lifelong relationships. However, he could also be brusque and irritable, especially in his later life. At a 2014 press conference, he derided much contemporary design as “pure shit” and famously flashed a journalist the one-finger salute.

Born Toronto, Canada, Frank was the son of Jewish immigrants. Facing prejudice in his youth, he anglicized his surname from Goldberg to Gehry in his twenties, a move that facilitated his career path but later caused him remorse. Ironically, this early suppression led him to later embrace his heritage and role as an maverick.

He moved to California in 1947 and, following working as a lorry driver, obtained an architecture degree. After military service, he briefly studied city planning at Harvard but left, disillusioned. He then worked for pragmatic modernists like Victor Gruen and William Pereira, an experience that cultivated what Gehry termed his “low-budget realism,” a tough or “gritty authenticity” that would inspire a generation of designers.

Finding Inspiration in the Path to Distinction

Prior to achieving his signature synthesis, Gehry worked on small-scale conversions and studios for artists. Believing himself unappreciated by the Los Angeles architectural establishment, he sought camaraderie with artists for acceptance and ideas. This led to seminal friendships with figures like Robert Rauschenberg and Claes Oldenburg, from whom he learned the techniques of clever re-purposing and a “funk aesthetic” sensibility.

Inspired by more minimalist artists like Richard Serra, he grasped the power of displacement and reduction. This fusion of influences crystallized his unique aesthetic, perfectly aligned to the West Coast zeitgeist of the 1970s. A pivotal project was his 1978 family home in Santa Monica, a modest house encased in corrugated metal and other everyday materials that became infamous—loved by the progressive but reviled by neighbors.

The Computer Revolution and Global Icon

The major evolution came when Gehry began utilizing computer software, specifically CATIA, to realize his ever-more-ambitious visions. The first major fruit of this was the winning design for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao in 1991. Here, his longstanding motifs of abstracted fish curves were brought together in a coherent architectural language sheathed in titanium, which became his trademark material.

The immense impact of Bilbao—the “effect”—reverberated worldwide and cemented Gehry’s status as a global starchitect. Prestigious projects poured in: the concert hall in Los Angeles, a tower in New York, the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, and a campus building in Sydney that resembled a stack of crumpled paper.

Gehry's celebrity extended beyond architecture; he was featured on *The Simpsons*, designed a hat for Lady Gaga, and worked with figures from Brad Pitt to Mark Zuckerberg. However, he also completed humble and meaningful projects, such as a cancer care centre in Dundee, designed as a personal tribute.

A Lasting Influence and Personal Life

Frank Gehry received countless honors, including the Pritzker Prize (1989) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016). Essential to his success was the support of his second wife, Berta Aguilera, who managed the business side of his practice. She, along with their two sons and a daughter from his first marriage, survive him.

Frank Owen Gehry, entered the world on February 28, 1929, has left a legacy permanently altered by his daring forays into material, technology, and the very idea of what a building can be.