Frank Gehry, Architect of the Guggenheim Bilbao and Global Design Icon, Dies at 96
Renowned American architect Frank Gehry , considered one of the most influential and revolutionary figures in contemporary architecture, died on Friday at his home in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 96. Meaghan Lloyd, Gehry’s chief of staff, confirmed his passing after “a brief respiratory illness.” The legacy of the Guggenheim Bilbao: His most celebrated work internationally is the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao , opened in 1997. The iconic titanium-clad building transformed the image of the Basque city and became the symbol of the urban renewal known as the “Bilbao effect.” Gehry burst onto the architectural world's scene in 1978 with the completion of a house in Santa Monica, California, which he designed and lived in for four decades. With its striking composition of metallic forms, the museum turned Gehry into “the most famous American architect since Frank Lloyd Wright” and introduced the world to an emotional and expressive architecture. A pioneer of digital design: Gehry...