Gehry, Frank O(wen) (1929– )

Canadian architect. His work approaches abstract art in its use of collage and montage techniques and is associated with the movements of deconstructionism and postmodernism. Based in Los Angeles, California, he became well known for his free-form sculpture-like buildings during the late 1990s, such as the Guggenheim Art Museum (1997) in Bilbao, Spain.

His own experimental house in Santa Monica, California (1977), Edgemar Shopping Center and Museum, Santa Monica (1988), and the Vitra Furniture Museum, Weil am Rhein, Switzerland (1989) – his first building in Europe – demonstrate his vitality. Other works include ‘The Experience Music Project’ (1995–2000) in Seattle, Washington, an interactive music museum and a homage to Jimi Hendrix; and a new wing for the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC (2005). He received the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1989 and the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal in 1999.