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Frank Gehry, who has died aged 96, influenced the direction of world architecture at least in two major phases. First, in the seventies, his informal style demonstrated how materials like chain-link fencing could be transformed into an powerful architectural element. Subsequently, in the nineties, he demonstrated the use of computers to create extraordinarily complex forms, giving birth to the thrashing titanium curves of the iconic Bilbao museum and a host of equally sculptural buildings.

The Bilbao Effect: A Turning Point

Upon its opened in 1997, the shimmering titanium Guggenheim seized the imagination of the architectural profession and international media. It was hailed as the prime embodiment of a new era of digitally-driven design and a convincing piece of urban sculpture, curving along the waterfront, a blend of palazzo and a hint of ship. The impact on cultural institutions and the art world was profound, as the so-called “Bilbao effect” revitalized a post-industrial city in Spain’s north into a major tourist destination. Within two years, fueled by a media feeding frenzy, Gehry’s museum was credited with generating $400 million to the city’s fortunes.

For some, the spectacle of the building was deemed to overwhelm the artworks within. The critic Hal Foster argued that Gehry had “provided patrons too much of what they desire, a sublime space that overwhelms the viewer, a spectacular image that can travel through the media as a global brand.”

More than any other architect of his generation, Gehry expanded 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 veering toward repetitive cliche.

From Toronto to the “Cheapskate Aesthetic”

{A rumpled character who favored T-shirts and baggy trousers, Gehry’s informal persona was key to his architecture—it was consistently innovative, inclusive, and willing to experiment. Sociable and quick to grin, he was “Frank” to his patrons, with whom he frequently maintained long friendships. Yet, he could also be impatient and cantankerous, especially in his later life. At a 2014 press conference, he derided much contemporary design as “pure shit” and reportedly gave a reporter the middle finger.

Born Canada, Frank was the son of immigrant parents. Experiencing prejudice in his youth, he changed his surname from Goldberg to Gehry in his 20s, a move that facilitated his professional acceptance but later brought him regret. Paradoxically, this early denial led him to later embrace his Jewish background and identity as an outsider.

He moved to California in 1947 and, following working as a lorry driver, obtained an architecture degree. Subsequent time in the army, he briefly studied city planning at Harvard but left, disenchanted. He then worked for practical modernists like Victor Gruen and William Pereira, an experience that fostered what Gehry termed his “low-budget realism,” a tough or “gritty authenticity” that would influence a generation of architects.

Collaboration with Artists and the Path to Distinction

Before achieving his signature synthesis, Gehry worked on small-scale conversions and artist studios. Believing himself overlooked by the Los Angeles architectural elite, he sought camaraderie with artists for collaboration and ideas. This led to fruitful friendships with artists like Robert Rauschenberg and Claes Oldenburg, from whom he learned the art of clever re-purposing and a “funk aesthetic” sensibility.

From more minimalist artists like Richard Serra, he learned the lessons of repetition and reduction. This blending of influences crystallized his unique aesthetic, perfectly suited to the southern California culture of the 1970s. A pivotal project was his 1978 residence in Santa Monica, a small house wrapped in chain-link and other industrial materials that became notorious—celebrated by the avant-garde but reviled by neighbors.

Digital Breakthrough and Global Icon

The major breakthrough came when Gehry started harnessing digital technology, specifically CATIA, to translate his ever-more-ambitious visions. The initial major result of this was the design for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao in 1991. Here, his longstanding motifs of abstracted fish curves were unified in a coherent grammar clad in titanium, which became his trademark material.

The immense success of Bilbao—the “Bilbao effect”—echoed worldwide and cemented Gehry’s status as a global starchitect. Major commissions 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 resembled a stack of crumpled paper.

Gehry's celebrity transcended architecture; he was featured on *The Simpsons*, created a hat for Lady Gaga, and worked with figures from Brad Pitt to Mark Zuckerberg. Yet, he also completed humble and personal projects, such as a cancer care centre in Dundee, designed as a personal tribute.

A Lasting Influence and Personal Life

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

Frank Owen Gehry, born on February 28, 1929, has left a world permanently shaped by his audacious exploration into form, technology, and the very idea of what a building can be.