FRANK, WHO LIKED TO BUILD

This biography presents Frank Gehry’s singular contributions to the field of architecture.

Blumenthal’s descriptions of Gehry’s designs are evocative and alliterative: “Imagine a building with sloping silver skin that seems to shiver in the wind” or a building with “billowy blanket walls big enough to hide a family of dinosaurs.” The text provides specific descriptions of how Gehry’s love for architecture fit into his life. For instance, we read that when he was a boy, his grandmother gave him pieces of wood meant for the wood stove. Inspired, young Gehry (described as a “dreamer”) created imaginary cities and worlds, leaving his parents unimpressed (something which lingered with him his entire life). Unfortunately, the jewel-toned illustrations fall short of capturing Gehry’s unique vision. The book closes with six photographs of buildings that Gehry designed, and the illustrations that precede the photos do not manage to capture the spirit of Gehry’s beautifully odd feats of architecture. The greatest tribute to Gehry, after all, may be to say that his buildings are indescribable. The text includes Gehry’s struggles with antisemitism during his time in Canada and Los Angeles—and his subsequent decision to change his Jewish surname—and his globe-trotting assignments. Some readers may kvetch that the book never really clarifies whether Gehry is dead or alive. Gehry and his family are White. One crowd scene shows people as varied as the colors in his architecture.

An uneven tribute to a visionary artist.