Gearing Up For Gehry

Art Matters Blog

Tuesday, February 14th, 2006

Frank Gehry’s return to Toronto touches on a few of the neuroses that makes this city unique. There’s the dynamic of the successful Canadian, going abroad to conquer the world and returning to his humble origins. In Gehry’s case redesigning the first art gallery he visited and one just a few blocks away from where he lived with his grandmother. There were no hard questions from the audience, when Gehry gave a press conference at the AGO this morning for the launch of the exhibit Frank Gehry Art + Architecture (opens Feb. 18).

Coming on stage wearing a black leather Roots jacket, Gehry confessed his love for hockey, support for the men’s Canadian Hockey team in Turin. In short, reminding us, that he’s still Canadian, still one of us despite jet setting around the world, years spent living in California and being as close to a household name as architects get.

And the show? Frank Gehry Art + Architecture looks at four recent projects that Gehry completed in Berlin, Boston, Chicago and LA. Some of the large models are truly breathtaking, like the interior models of the Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA (pictured here). The show gives you some insight into the man’s thought process and creativity and it’s easy to see why his buildings have inspired a kind of fervour among city planners, architects and clients.

Art Matters Blog