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Frank Gehry, who has died aged 96, shaped the trajectory of world architecture at least in two major phases. First, in the 1970s, his informal aesthetic showed how materials like chain-link fencing could be elevated into an expressive architectural element. Subsequently, in the nineties, he demonstrated the use of software to construct radically new forms, giving birth to the gleaming titanium curves of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and a host of equally sculptural buildings.

A Defining Turning Point

After it opened in 1997, the shimmering titanium Guggenheim seized the imagination of the architectural profession and global media. It was celebrated as the prime embodiment of a new paradigm of computer-led design and a masterful piece of civic art, curving along the riverbank, a blend of renaissance palace and a hint of ocean liner. Its influence on cultural institutions and the world of art was immense, as the so-called “Bilbao phenomenon” transformed a post-industrial city in northern Spain into a major cultural hub. In just 24 months, aided by a global media storm, Gehry’s museum was said with generating $400 million to the local economy.

For some, the dazzling exterior of the building was deemed to detract from the art inside. One critic argued that Gehry had “given his clients too much of what they desire, a sublime space that dwarfs the viewer, a striking icon that can circulate through the media as a global brand.”

More than any other architect of his era, Gehry amplified the role of architecture as a commercial brand. This branding prowess proved to be his greatest asset as well as a potential weakness, with some later projects descending into repetitive cliche.

From Toronto to the “Cheapskate Aesthetic”

{A rumpled character who favored T-shirts and baggy trousers, Gehry’s informal demeanor was central to his architecture—it was consistently fresh, inclusive, and unafraid to experiment. Gregarious and quick to smile, he was “Frank” to his patrons, with whom he often maintained long friendships. However, he could also be impatient and irritable, particularly in his later years. On one notable occasion in 2014, he dismissed much contemporary design as “rubbish” and reportedly flashed a journalist the one-finger salute.

Hailing from Canada, Frank was the son of Jewish immigrants. Facing antisemitism in his youth, he anglicized his surname from Goldberg to Gehry in his 20s, a move that eased his career path but later brought him regret. Ironically, this early denial led him to later accentuate his Jewish background and role as an maverick.

He relocated to California in 1947 and, after working as a lorry driver, obtained an architecture degree. Subsequent time in the army, he enrolled in city planning at Harvard but left, disillusioned. He then worked for pragmatic modernists like Victor Gruen and William Pereira, an experience that cultivated what Gehry termed his “cheapskate aesthetic,” a tough or “dirty realism” that would inspire a generation of architects.

Artistic Alliances and Path to Distinction

Prior to achieving his signature style, Gehry tackled small-scale conversions and studios for artists. Feeling overlooked by the Los Angeles architectural establishment, he turned to artists for acceptance and inspiration. These fruitful friendships with figures like Ed Ruscha and Claes Oldenburg, from whom he learned the art of canny transformation and a “funk art” sensibility.

From more minimalist artists like Richard Serra, he learned the power of repetition and simplification. This fusion of influences solidified his idiosyncratic aesthetic, perfectly suited to the southern California culture of the 1970s. A major work was his 1978 family home in Santa Monica, a small house encased in chain-link and other everyday materials that became infamous—loved by the progressive but despised by local residents.

Digital Breakthrough and Global Icon

The true evolution came when Gehry began harnessing computer software, specifically CATIA, to realize his ever-more-ambitious visions. The initial major fruit of this was the winning design for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao in 1991. Here, his longstanding motifs of organic, flowing lines were brought together in a powerful architectural language clad in titanium, which became his trademark material.

The immense success of Bilbao—the “Bilbao effect”—reverberated worldwide and cemented Gehry’s status as a global starchitect. Major projects followed: the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, a tower in New York, the Foundation Louis Vuitton in Paris, and a campus building in Sydney that was likened to a pile of crumpled paper.

His celebrity transcended architecture; he was featured on *The Simpsons*, designed a hat for Lady Gaga, and collaborated with figures from Brad Pitt to Mark Zuckerberg. However, he also undertook humble and meaningful projects, such as a cancer care centre in Dundee, designed as a personal tribute.

A Lasting Influence and Personal Life

Frank Gehry was awarded numerous accolades, including the Pritzker Prize (1989) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016). Essential to his success was the support of his second wife, Berta Aguilera, who managed the business side of his practice. She, along with their two sons and a daughter from his first marriage, survive him.

Frank Owen Gehry, entered the world on February 28, 1929, has left a legacy permanently altered by his daring exploration into form, software, and the very idea of what a building can be.