Frank Gehry Quotes

Powerful Frank Gehry for Daily Growth

About Frank Gehry

Frank Owen Gehry, born on February 28, 1929, in Toronto, Canada, is a preeminent architect known for his innovative and distinctive style that revolutionized modern architecture. Raised in Los Angeles after moving with his family in 1937, Gehry developed an early interest in art and design, influenced by his father's small furniture-making shop. Gehry pursued his passion at the University of Southern California, initially studying industrial design but eventually switching to architecture. His education was interrupted by military service during the Korean War. Upon returning, he graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1954 and began working for Victor Gruen Associates in Cincinnati. In 1962, Gehry established his own studio in Los Angeles. Early works were primarily residential projects. However, it was the Vincent House (1978) that marked a turning point in his career, with its undulating titanium-clad design. The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (1997), arguably his most famous work, solidified Gehry's reputation as a pioneer. The museum, with its titanium-covered curvilinear forms, has become an icon of contemporary architecture and catalyzed urban regeneration in the Basque city. Throughout his career, Gehry has been recognized with numerous awards, including two Pritzker Prizes (1989 and 2008), considered the Nobel Prize of Architecture. His other notable works include the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Louvre-Lens Museum in France, and Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial in Washington D.C. Gehry's unique approach to architecture, characterized by organic forms, deconstructed geometries, and innovative materials, has left a lasting impact on the field, inspiring generations of architects worldwide. His work continues to challenge traditional architectural norms and push the boundaries of design possibilities.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"I don't think in a traditional sense. I go for an emotional response."

Frank Gehry, renowned architect, emphasizes that his design process is not based on traditional linear thinking but rather on evoking emotional responses. Instead of following conventional design principles, he prioritizes creating structures that resonate with people on a deeply felt level. This perspective allows him to produce innovative, expressive designs that transcend ordinary architecture and connect with the human spirit.

"You can make more out of less, and less out of more than you can out of nothing."

Frank Gehry's quote emphasizes the power of creativity and resourcefulness in design and life. He suggests that it is possible to generate more value or potential from limited resources (making "more out of less") than from unlimited or abundant resources ("less out of more"). However, he also indicates that without any starting point or foundation ("nothing"), the creation process might face significant challenges. In essence, this quote highlights the importance of making the most of what we have and being resourceful in our approach to problem-solving, which is particularly relevant when working with constraints, as Gehry often does in his architectural designs.

"I always wanted to be an architect because it seemed like the coolest profession there was."

This quote by Frank Gehry reveals his deep passion and enthusiasm for architecture. To him, being an architect represented a unique, exciting, and cool career - one that stood out among others. It underscores not only his personal ambition but also the allure of architecture as a creative and inspiring profession.

"The building is not just about its physicality. It's also about what happens in it - the life that it contains."

Frank Gehry's quote emphasizes the importance of considering both the aesthetic and functional aspects of architecture. The physical structure of a building is crucial, but it's equally essential to consider the activities, interactions, and experiences that take place within it. Architecture, therefore, is not just about creating visually appealing designs, but also about fostering vibrant, meaningful, and engaging environments that enrich human life.

"Every day I go to work with excitement, and I love what I do. You have to love what you do because if you don't, then it's a struggle every day."

This quote highlights two key elements of fulfillment in one's professional life: passion and enjoyment. Frank Gehry suggests that having an enthusiasm for one's work is essential to maintaining motivation and overcoming daily challenges. By loving what you do, your days become less arduous because the passion and joy compensate for any struggles encountered along the way. This mindset can lead to a more satisfying career experience overall.

Democracy, obviously, is something we don't want to give up, but it does create chaos. It means the guy next door can do what he wants, and it creates a collision of thinking. In cities, that means people build whatever they want.

- Frank Gehry

Give, Next, Means, Collision

My only extravagance in life is my sailboat. I'm bonkers about that, but other than that, I don't spend money on myself.

- Frank Gehry

Myself, Other, Sailboat, Extravagance

The fact is I'm an opportunist. I'll take materials around me, materials on my table, and work with them as I'm searching for an idea that works.

- Frank Gehry

Work, Fact, Works, Materials

You've got to bumble forward into the unknown.

- Frank Gehry

Forward, You, Got, Unknown

Architecture has always been a very idealistic profession. It's about making the world a better place, and it works over the generations because people go on vacation and they look for it.

- Frank Gehry

Always, Over, Profession, Idealistic

I think people care. If not, why do so many people spend money going on vacations to see architecture? They go to the Parthenon, to Chartres, to the Sydney Opera House. They go to Bilbao... Something compels them, and yet we live surrounded by everything but great architecture.

- Frank Gehry

Opera, Surrounded, I Think, Compels

For me, every day is a new thing. I approach each project with a new insecurity, almost like the first project I ever did. And I get the sweats. I go in and start working, I'm not sure where I'm going. If I knew where I was going I wouldn't do it.

- Frank Gehry

Work, Every Day, Almost, Sweats

I approach each project with a new insecurity, almost like the first project I ever did, and I get the sweats, I go in and start working, I'm not sure where I'm going.

- Frank Gehry

New, Sure, Almost, Sweats

Green issues have been used as a marketing tool. Sometimes these green claims are completely meaningless.

- Frank Gehry

Green, Marketing, Been, Claims

Chicago's one of the rare places where architecture is more visible.

- Frank Gehry

Places, More, Visible, Chicago

Each project, I suffer like I'm starting over again in life. There's a lot of healthy insecurity that fuels this stuff.

- Frank Gehry

Over, Like, Again, Starting

An architect is given a program, budget, place, and schedule. Sometimes the end product rises to art - or at least people call it that.

- Frank Gehry

Art, Product, Given, Budget

My buildings are all on budget.

- Frank Gehry

Buildings, Budget

Architecture is a service business. An architect is given a program, budget, place, and schedule. Sometimes the end product rises to art - or at least people call it that.

- Frank Gehry

Art, Product, Given, Budget

Look, architecture has a lot of places to hide behind, a lot of excuses. 'The client made me do this.' 'The city made me do this.' 'Oh, the budget.' I don't believe that anymore.

- Frank Gehry

City, Behind, Made, Budget

The game is if the orchestra can hear each other, they play better. If they play better and there's a tangible feeling between the orchestra and the audience, if they feel each other, the audience responds and the orchestra feels it.

- Frank Gehry

Game, Play, Feels, Orchestra

There are people who design buildings that are not technically and financially good, and there are those who do. Two categories - simple.

- Frank Gehry

Simple, Design, Buildings, Categories

Well, I've always just - I've never really gone out looking for work. I always waited for it to sort of hit me on the head.

- Frank Gehry

Work, Always, Sort, Waited

My father was an urchin that lived in Hell's Kitchen. He was part of a family of nine. I mean, there were times that were better and worse, but mostly, by the time we got to L.A., they'd lost whatever they had. And it was a sad time. And both he and I became truck drivers for different companies.

- Frank Gehry

Nine, By The Time, Became, Kitchen

I used to sketch - that's the way I thought out loud. Then they made a book of my sketches, and I got self-conscious, so now I don't do it much.

- Frank Gehry

Loud, Made, Self-Conscious, Sketches

A lot of people don't get it, but I design from the inside out so that the finished product looks inevitable somehow. I think it's important to create spaces that people like to be in, that are humanistic.

- Frank Gehry

Inside, Out, I Think, Spaces

My father probably - he had flashes of creativity - he used to do store windows for fruit stores that he worked in and stuff.

- Frank Gehry

Father, Fruit, Stores, Flashes

I make a model of the site. There are some obvious things: where the entrance should be, where the cars have to go in. You start to get the scale of it. You understand the client's needs, and what the client is hoping for and yearning for.

- Frank Gehry

Go, Some, Needs, Client

I don't know how to overcome this perception that I'm extravagant.

- Frank Gehry

Overcome, Know, How, Extravagant

When I went to Harvard and studied planning, I found I didn't have the skills or the strength to become the kind of public person who could go out and lobby government agencies.

- Frank Gehry

Strength, Kind, Studied, Harvard

Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.

- Frank Gehry

Architecture, Should, Yearn, Timelessness

I think my attitudes about the past are very traditional. You can't ignore history; you can't escape it even if you want to. You might as well know where you come from, and you might as well know that everything has been done in some shape or form.

- Frank Gehry

Some, Been, Very, Escape

I'm a leftie, and I've always believed in doing things on a modest scale.

- Frank Gehry

Doing, Always, Things, Believed

On certain projects, on big public projects, people definitely are interested in making them greener, but on smaller projects with tight budgets it can be harder.

- Frank Gehry

Big, Making, Smaller, Greener

A well-designed home has to be very comfortable. I can't stand the aesthetes, the minimal thing. I can't live that way. My home has to be filled with stuff - mostly paintings, sculpture, my fish lamps, cardboard furniture, lots of books.

- Frank Gehry

Very, Mostly, Lamps, Cardboard

Liquid architecture. It's like jazz - you improvise, you work together, you play off each other, you make something, they make something. And I think it's a way of - for me, it's a way of trying to understand the city, and what might happen in the city.

- Frank Gehry

Play, Other, I Think, Work Together

I was in Peru and visited a building near Lima built by the Incas. It was low in height, with no windows at all, but all the way in the back there was air movement. And I couldn't figure out how they'd done it; it was incredible.

- Frank Gehry

Incredible, Figure, Built, Height

I don't want to do architecture that's dry and dull.

- Frank Gehry

Architecture, Want, Dry, Dull

I promised a lot of people I'd slow down when I turned 80.

- Frank Gehry

Slow, Lot, Turned, Promised

And I realized, when I'd come in to the meetings with these corrugated metal and chain link stuff, and people would just look at me like I'd just landed from Mars. But I couldn't do anything else. That was my response to the people and the time.

- Frank Gehry

Link, Anything Else, Would, Response

Most of our cities built since the war are bland. They're modernist, they're cold, and now architects want to go back to that.

- Frank Gehry

Want, Cities, Built, Modernist

Some people may say my curved panels look like sails. Well, I am a sailor, so I guess I probably do use that metaphor in my work - though not consciously.

- Frank Gehry

Sails, Some, May, Some People

Bilbao opened in 1997. It was only ten years later that I was asked to do another museum. A lot of other people got work because of Bilbao.

- Frank Gehry

Work, Other, Another, Museum

I don't make things with my hands, although I studied woodworking and made furniture.

- Frank Gehry

Hands, Although, Studied, Furniture

I refuse to work unless I get paid, so I don't get a lot of work sometimes.

- Frank Gehry

Unless, Lot, Refuse, Paid

There are a lot of questions about whether architecture is art. The people who ask that think pretty tract houses are architecture. But that doesn't hold up.

- Frank Gehry

Art, Think, Pretty, Tract

I would like to make a building as intellectually driven as it is sculptural and as positive as it would be acceptable to hope.

- Frank Gehry

Like, Acceptable, Would, Driven

I have always thought that L.A. is a motor city that developed linear downtowns.

- Frank Gehry

Thought, Always, Motor, Linear

There is a backlash against me and everyone who has done buildings that have movement and feeling.

- Frank Gehry

Buildings, Everyone, Against, Backlash

One of my greatest influences is the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

- Frank Gehry

Artist, Greatest, Italian, Influences

I don't think all buildings have to be iconic, but the history of the world has shown us that cultures build iconic buildings for their major public buildings.

- Frank Gehry

History, Think, Iconic, Cultures

You have freedom, so you have to make choices - and at the point when I make a choice, the building starts to look like a Frank Gehry building. It's a signature.

- Frank Gehry

Signature, Like, Frank, Point

If I knew where I was going, I wouldn't do it. When I can predict or plan it, I don't do it.

- Frank Gehry

Predict, Going, Knew, Plan

There is stuff I would have liked to have done. But there are no sour grapes.

- Frank Gehry

Done, Sour, Would, Stuff

I can't just decide myself what's being built. Someone decides what they want, then I work for them.

- Frank Gehry

Work, Myself, Built, Decide

I never said I was opposed to the LEED program or to green building - I'm not.

- Frank Gehry

Green, Never, Opposed, Program

This neo-minimalism super cold stuff is weird to me. I need a place where I can come home and take my shoes off.

- Frank Gehry

Cold, Need, Come, Shoes

It's not new that architecture can profoundly affect a place, sometimes transform it. Architecture and any art can transform a person, even save someone.

- Frank Gehry

Art, New, Profoundly, Save

The best advice I've received is to be yourself. The best artists do that.

- Frank Gehry

Best, Advice, Artists, Yourself

When I was a kid, my father didn't really have much hope for me. He thought I was a dreamer; he didn't think I would amount to anything. My mother also.

- Frank Gehry

Thought, Think, Dreamer, Amount

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