Frank Gehry's Urbanism and Artistic Influences Explored in Centre Pompidou Retrospective

The Centre Pompidou in Paris presents the first major European retrospective of Frank Gehry, running until January 26, 2015, curated by Frédéric Migayrou. The exhibition challenges common perceptions of Gehry as a deconstructivist or genius sculptor, instead emphasizing his two-decade career as an urban planner starting in 1959. Gehry worked with Victor Gruen, inventor of the mall, and James Rouse on projects like Santa Monica Place. His architecture was deeply influenced by the California art scene of the 1960s, including artists Ed Ruscha, Robert Rauschenberg, and Billy Al Bengston, leading him to use industrial materials like chain-link fencing and corrugated metal. The exhibition highlights Gehry's refusal of postmodern historicism and deconstruction, aligning him instead with Frank Lloyd Wright's organicism. Key projects include the Danziger Studio, his own Los Angeles house remodeled in 1978, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the 8 Spruce Street tower in New York. The show runs parallel to a monographic exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, also curated by Migayrou.