MoMA unpacks the archive of Frank Lloyd Wright at 150

Model of the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1943–59, in painted wood, plastic, glass beads, ink, and watercolour on paper, by Frank Lloyd Wright. Courtesy of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives (The Museum of Modern Art | Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University, New York)

(Image credit: TBC)

By Sam Lubell

last updated 6 August 2022

Although Frank Lloyd Wright (opens in new tab) died more than half a century ago (his 150th birthday would have been on 8 June), he remains the most famous architect in the world. It’s easy to see why when you explore the Museum of Modern Art (opens in new tab)’s new exhibition, ‘Frank Lloyd Wright at 150: Unpacking the Archive’.

The sprawling show features almost 400 works by the American master, ranging from drawings, models, furniture and print media all the way to tableware and pieces of buildings. It was sparked by the herculean task of ushering the archive’s more than 55,000 drawings, 125,000 photos, and much more from Taliesen West to MoMA.

But much more than that, describes curator Barry Bergdoll, it’s about bringing in new voices to examine the work and impact of this most impactful of architects. Bergdoll invited more than a dozen scholars and conservators to unpack (as per the show’s title – a double entendre) varied themes around Wright’s work. What they’ve found reveals that the archive, as Bergdoll puts it, continues to ‘unfold new experiments’, and will continue to do so for generations.

Colourful sketch of stained glass window — *Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, 1955–61, pastel and pencil on paper, by Frank Lloyd Wright. Stained glass design by Eugene Masselink*

Revelation comes regularly as you explore the 12 divided sections of the show – focusing on drawings and abstract representations over photographs – from his well-documented experiments in ornament, structure, and building systems to his relatively unknown research in urbanism and farming. Other galleries touch on landscape, the Native American-inspired Nakoma Golf Club near Madison, Wicsonsin, and his proposed blade-like mile high tower for Chicago, meant to shore up his bonifides as he lobbied to take part in the city’s building boom.

As you chew on the seemingly endless themes, it’s impossible not to marvel at the skill and seduction of the drawings and artifacts, from a surprising neoclassical competition rendering for the Milwaukee Public Library in the 1890s to the space aged, dome and bubble concoctions of the 1950s. Everything is art: elaborate and colorful architectural sections and plans are just as much artwork as the intricate stained glass windows, hexagonal chairs, and concentric-sphere murals nearby. All is unified, wondrously held together through Wright’s organic ideals and his commitment to (whether his clients liked it or not) total design.

Model of building with gardens — *Davidson Little Farms Unit, model in painted wood and particle board, 1932–33, by Frank Lloyd Wright*

And while the architect was light years ahead of his time, exploring complex technological and formal systems that most around him couldn’t keep up with (which explains, to a point, all the cracks and leaks), he was able to create spaces, systems, and pieces that almost anyone could appreciate. Wright’s work is universal both in its ability to hold together in all its variation, and in its ability to seamlessly connect to the world at large.

This combination of complexity and accessibility, the show drives home, continues to mesmerise the general public. Perhaps even more than the architectural establishment. The show, says Bergdoll, is basically a billboard to encourage scholars and visitors alike to continue to tease out lessons from it all.

‘The goal here is to announce that the archive is here and open to new questions and new people,’ says Bergdoll. For Wright, the quintessential self-promoter, all this broadcasting, and yes, fame, would have been just fine.

Sketch of building & waterfall — Pencil and colored pencil on paper drawing of Wright’s *Fallingwater (Kaufmann House)*, Mill Run, Pennsylvania, 1934–37

Colourful circular drawing — A drawing by Wright based on a circa 1926 design for Liberty magazine in coloured pencil on paper, titled *March Balloons*, 1955

Black & white sketch of an American home — Lithograph of the American System-Built (Ready-Cut) Houses project from 1915–17. *Courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gifts of David Rockefeller Jr Fund, Ira Howard Levy Fund, and Jeffrey P. Klein Purchase Fund*

Hand drawn sketch of building at the top of some stairs — *Raul Bailleres House*, Acapulco, Mexico project. Perspective from the patio in ink, pencil, and coloured pencil on tracing paper, 1951–52

Hand drawn sketch of circular building — The Gordon Strong Automobile Objective and Planetarium, Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland, 1924–25

Model of multi storey building — Model of St Mark’s Tower, an unbuilt project for New York, 1927-31, in painted wood

Hand drawn sketch of river — Aerial perspective of the cultural centre and university from the north, 1957, part of the plan for Greater Baghdad, in ink, pencil, and coloured pencil on tracing paper

INFORMATION

‘Frank Lloyd Wright at 150: Unpacking the Archive’ is on view until 1 October. For more information, visit the MoMA website (opens in new tab)

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