Frank Gehry's major European retrospective opens at the Centre Pompidou in Paris

The major new exhibition on the work of Frank Gehry at the Centre Pompidou. A gallery with glass cases containing wooden architectural structures.

The major new exhibition on the work of Frank Gehry opens at the Centre Pompidou in Paris today. Photography: Philippe Migeat, Centre Pompidou.

(Image credit: Philippe Migeat, Centre Pompidou)

By Ellie Stathaki

last updated 14 August 2022

The work of Frank Gehry has revolutionised the way we see architecture, and a big, comprehensive retrospective of his work in Europe has been long overdue. The architect's portfolio, including iconic projects such as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao (1997) and the Walt Disney Concert Hall (2003), features widely recognised landmarks in architectural history.

So, the exhibition that just opened at the Centre Pompidou in Paris will be a welcome chance for professionals and architecture aficionados alike, to dip into the considerable body of the master's oeuvre. An earlier show around the architect's work in 1992 - also at the Pompidou - offered a taster of what was to come, however this exhibition aims to be bolder and bigger, 'a global survey of his work'.

A staggering 225 drawings, 67 models and supporting material and a total of 60 major projects will be on display to present a detailed portrait of the architect's career, since he first started his office in Los Angeles in the early 1960s.

Key projects such as his own world-famous house in Santa Monica, the Vitra Design Museum in Germany and 8 Spruce Street in New York will take the visitor to a journey that describes the development of the architect's design language throughout the decades. The show also revolves around two main themes: urbanism and the development of new systems of digital design and fabrication.

The show opens at a key time for the office - Gehry's Museum of Biodiversity in Panama is also inaugurated this October and his Fondation Luma in Arles is currently on site, while the first ever permanent Gehry building in England has been announced recently as part of the Battersea Power Station development. At the same time, his seminal Louis Vuitton Foundation is also due to launch later this month. Watch this space.

A gallery with a grey wall with many photos on it next to a wall with a screen on it and square grey chairs in front of it. — The show comprises a staggering 225 drawings, 67 models and supporting material, presenting a detailed portrait of the architect's career since he set up his office in the early 1960s. *Photography: Philippe Migeat, Centre Pompidou.*

The Museum of Biodiversity in Panama. The roof has angled panels in different colours. — The Museum of Biodiversity in Panama - seen in construction - is also opening this month. *Photography: Gehry Partners LLP.*

The Hotel Marques de Riscal,1999-2006, is situtated in Spain. A large structure with a roof that looks like folded paper in silver and purple. — The Hotel Marques de Riscal,1999-2006, is situtated in Spain. *Photography: Thomas Meyer.*

Chiat/Day office building California. A curved white three storey building next to a binoculars shaped building next to a purple building. — Chiat/Day office building, California, 1985-1991. *Photography: Grant Mudford.*

One of New York's most iconic towers, 8 Spruce Street. A large white building with a bridge in front of it. — One of New York's most iconic towers, 8 Spruce Street, 2003-2011. *Photography: Gehry Partners.*

The Cleveland Clinic at Las Vegas' Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. A view up of the curved structures with windows in them. — The Cleveland Clinic at Las Vegas' Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, 2005-2010, is also in Gehry's portfolio.

The DZ bank building, Berlin. — The DZ bank building, Berlin, 1995-2001. *Photography: Roland Halbe.*

Another of Gehry's key projects is the Frederick R Weisman Art and Teaching Museum in Minneapolis. A large white castle like structure with large windows. — Another of Gehry's key projects is the Frederick R Weisman Art and Teaching Museum in Minneapolis, 1990-2011. *Photography: Don F Wong.*

The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. A large silver structure in front of a river. — The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, 1997, is one of the architect's most well-known projects. *Photography: Philippe Migeat.*

The Nationale-Nederlanden Building. A brown building with a curved glass structure on the front of it. — Another iconic project by Frank Gehry is the Nationale-Nederlanden Building (1992-1996) in Prague. *Photography: Gehry Partners LLP.*

The Vitra International Furniture Manufacturing Facility and Design Museum. A white building with sections jutting out of it at angles.

An icon of the Los Angeles skyline, the Walt Disney Concert Hall. A large silver building made of rounded structures. — An icon of the Los Angeles skyline, the Walt Disney Concert Hall (1987-2003) is part of Frank Gehry's portfolio too. *Photography: Gehry Partners LLP.*

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Centre Pompidou
Place Georges-Pompidou
75004 Paris, France

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Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture Editor at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018) and Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020).

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