Putting aside Rocky—though that's hard to do these days—there's a bigger problem looming over Gehry's expansion plans. That problem is Gehry. Not for all the reasons that Gehry's critics like to cite, chapter and verse, about why he doesn't deserve to be an ambassador for cool architecture. In fact, Gehry's critics may find plenty to admire in his plans for the Art Museum. Frankly, it's not very Gehry. — citylab.com
Previously: Philadelphia Museum of Art exhibition to reveal Frank Gehry’s renovation plan this summer
17 Comments
Architecture media is becoming as dumb and superficial as political and entertainment media.
It seems like every article about a Gehry building centers around the idea of Starchitecture and the Bilbao-effect.
I think that writers like Geoff Manaugh are pandering to intellectually lazy readers when he writes "What's particularly frustrating about Gehry's career is that he's somehow meant be cool, a kind of sci-fi architect (because to Manaugh, sci-fi is the height of cool) for the Millennial Generation, a Timothy Leary of CAD; but he's Guy Fieri, his buildings hair-gelled monsters of advanced spatial douchebaggery."
Celebrity-bashing and hyperbolic statements are probably more accessible to the average Gizmodo, Atlantic or Huffpost reader than serious architecture criticism.
One of my favorite Gehry buildings is the one where's not being "very Gehry" - or rather he is, just in small parts: the DZ Bank. Gehry does restraint very well, but in some projects the restraint just isn't as necessary. I'd say the PMA is a good place to show restraint.
Architecture media is becoming as dumb and superficial as architecture.
But then again, look at what they've got to work with.
The DZ Bank is very restrained on the plaza, which is a very good thing in that context, but the inside is... exuberant. I was there for a design conference, and spent the day in the main conference space, which is decidedly over-the-top. It's amazingly well detailed and well built, compared to, say, the Disney Hall.
My favorite Gehry building, which is a few blocks from my house, is the Edgemar development. It is a really successful and engaging urban design with a great courtyard.
"...hair-gelled monsters of advanced spatial douchebaggery."
That's pretty good. :)
EKE,
I disagree. I don't think it informs the public about architecture or Gehry's work. I think that Manaugh is only trying to be insulting and dismissive. He's piggy-backing on knee-jerk reactions that are common among the general public. Not to mention that the fact that the title of his essay isn't even true.
That, my friend, is a matter of opinion. But I agree with you... Thom Mayne probably holds that title. :)
I do think that having a rational discussion about Gehry's work is a bit difficult, since at a certain level, his work is anti-intellectual. It comes from the gut, and it's designed to astound, to surprise, to shock. It's over-the-top hyper-sensual. So when a critic resorts to over-the-top Gonzo rhetoric to describe it, well, it seems to me to fit.
I wasn't aware that astound, surprise, and shock were characteristics of good architecture.
But I will admit to being dumbfounded by his work.
Its like saying that Quentin Tarantino is a terrible director. Its an opinion but its also idiotic. Gehry is a Pritzker Prize Laureate and perhaps the most respected architect on the planet.
May I suggest some rational ways to discuss Gehry's work? Talk about his work in terms of Architecture history. Talk about the culture that Gehry exists in, how material and computing technology has shaped his work. What culture was he part of in California when some of his early projects were built. Talk about his contemporaries who frequently deal with similar materials, conditions, aesthetics and philosophy. Talk about the major criticisms of his work. Talk about his influence on the state of architecture today.
All of that has been talked about before, at length. What hasn't been talked about is how his buildings are like hair-gelled monsters.
Miles- I wasn't holding those up as attributes of good architecture... But you know that. :)
May I suggest some rational ways to discuss Gehry's work?
Like the performance of his buildings?
Miles,
In some cases, yes. But it really depends on which aspect of the building's function you're talking about. A leak in the roof or a loose door knob isn't necessarily a career defining moment.
In the case of Gerhard Becker, the architect who was sentenced earlier this year to one year in prison for the death of a firefighter because he disregarded fire codes, that would be a career defining mistake.
So it's OK for buildings to fail in some aspects (structurally, programmatically, financially, environmentally, etc.) as long as you approve of them aesthetically?
Or maybe those things really aren't important, at least in comparison to historical context and computer technology.
I thought I already explained with my last comment that some failures are more significant than others. It has to depend on the specifics of the context.
Also, you're acting like its somehow up to me to decide whether its ok. History decides. How much do the leaks at FLW's falling water matter? Would we even know how much the Crystal Palace leaked?
Buildings are so complex that they can fail and succeed at the same time in different areas. You've also got to consider the fact that we can find articles about leaky roofs by celebrity architects more easily today than any other time in history.
The failure of Gehry (and other starchitects as well) to lead the profession in sustainability (among other things) is a travesty. On that level alone his work is a complete failure.
Extrapolate the adoration (celebrity worship) for such exercises of raging ego to architectural schools and you have a cultural disaster with global consequences.
honestly the piece rings true, especially as much of the argument focuses on the idea/myth of Bilbao effect. Not in relation to Gehry/architecture, but in relation the whole Creative Class/cultural bubble and the "spate of new museum construction between 1994 and 2008".
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.