I was very sad to learn that Frank Gehry, the Canadian born, American architect and designer, who designed some of the most famous buildings around the world, died on December 5, 2025 at age 96. I always try to find his projects when I travel in the US and overseas. In a recent interview on CBS Sunday Morning, he said that “architecture is an art” and that he wanted to have all architects “elevate the art of their design.” Here are my favorites of his projects that I have seen which I wanted to share with you:
The Fondation Louis Vuitton is located next to the Jardin d’Acclimatation in the Bois de Boulogne, the famous park on the west side of Paris. Today it hosts temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art and presents works held in its collection, commissions artists to create site-specific pieces, and stages events across the cultural spectrum including concerts, performances, conferences, film screenings, dance and more. “The Fondation Louis Vuitton grounds its commitment to the contemporary arts within an historical perspective. The LVMH Group and its companies opened a new chapter in their history of patronage with the creation of the Fondation. The building itself was inaugurated on 24 October 2014, the result of nearly 25 years of commitment to the arts, culture and heritage.” It is a stunning building that I visited in November 2022 and saw an amazing art exhibition with the works of Claude Monet and Joan Mitchell. The building was stunning.
According to the Fondation, “we wanted to present Paris with an extraordinary space for art and culture, and demonstrate daring and emotion by entrusting Frank Gehry with the construction of an iconic building for the 21st century.”
Opened in 2014, the well-known architect Frank Gehry’s first project in Latin America, the Biomuseo/ Museum of Biodiversity. The Museum, with it bright colors of blue, red, orange and yellow has a focus on Panama’s biodiversity as a biological bridge between the Americas. It is located in the Amador area at the entrance of the Canal. It has wonderful displays in 43,000 sq. ft. of new galleries including two, two-story large aquariums, one for the species of the Pacific and one for those of the Caribbean. I was fortunate to have a tour prior to the opening, with two other Americans, by an American volunteer. The site and architecture are spectacular.
Marqués de Riscal: Marqués de Riscal The City of Wine is located in the small town of Álava, Spain. The winery produces some of the best red wines so make sure to book a tour so you can taste some of their efforts. I particularly enjoyed seeing the aging cellars and the cellar (under lock and key) that has kept some of each year’s production dating back to 1858.
But the highlight to me was seeing the attached Hotel Marqués de Riscal hotel whichopened in 2006 and was designed by architect Frank Gehry. It is a striking building with his traditional ribbon-like design where some panels are colored silver, pink and purple. There are two restaurants, the Gastronomic Restaurant and the 1860 Tradición along with the hotel bar Vinoteca & Bistró.
8 Spruce Street, previously known as the Beekman Tower, is a residential skyscraper on Spruce Street in the Financial District of Manhattan in New York City. It was designed by architect Frank Gehry + Gehry Partners LLP and rises 870 feet with 76 stories.
The Olympic Fish in Barcelona, is the 52-metre-long golden fish sculpture, El Peix. This is one of the best-known and most striking landmarks on Barcelona’s seafront. Its gold-coloured stainless steel surface shines under the Mediterranean sun and changes appearance depending on the angle of the sun and the current weather conditions. It is located in Port Olímpic area near the Hotel Arts and was built for the the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
The Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, WA is Designed by Frank Gehry, “the architecture of the MOPOP building is inspired by the energy, movement and fluidity of the art it exists to celebrate. A symphony of textures, myriad colors and flowing design elements create a one-of-a-kind visual experience.” 325 5th Ave. N.
Exhibits cover pop culture, from the art of fantasy, horror cinema, and video games to science fiction literature and costumes from screen and stage. It was founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 2000 as the Experience Music Project.
The Ray and Maria Stata Center for Computer, Information and Intelligence Sciences is located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or MIT. Opened in 2004, it “is home to the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS), and the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy. Its striking design—featuring tilting towers, many-angled walls, and whimsical shapes—challenges much of the conventional wisdom of laboratory and campus building.” 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA.
Located in Berlin, Germany, the DZ Bank Building is a mixed-use, office, conference, and residential building located at Pariser Platz 3 in Berlin. It was designed by architect Frank Gehry and engineered by Hans Schober of Schlaich Bergermann & Partner. Construction began in 1998 and was completed in 2000. I enjoyed seeing on my trip to Berlin in 2010.
The Art Gallery of Ontario, located in Toronto, has a collection of more than 90000 works of art making it the most distinguished art museums in North America. From 2004 to 2008, the museum underwent another expansion by Frank Gehry. It was established in 1900. 317 Dundas St.
The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, CA, is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center and was designed by Frank Gehry. It was opened on October 23, 2003. It is the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic where it presents the best in classical and contemporary music along with international sounds and jazz.
“It is one one of the most acoustically sophisticated concert halls in the world. From the stainless-steel curves of its striking exterior to the state-of-the-art acoustics of the hardwood-paneled main auditorium, the 3.6-acre complex embodies the unique energy and creative spirit of the city of Los Angeles and its orchestra.”
Guggenheim Bilbao: Having seen the Guggenheim branches in New York and Venice and knowing about the impact that the Frank Gehry building has had on Bilbao from a lecture that I heard Gehry give in Santa Fe NM, this was high on my list to see. The building and setting are spectacular. The building is constructed of iron, stone and glass with a titanium plate covering that has been curved into some incredible curved shapes. You can’t miss the huge floral dog by Jeff Koons at the entrance. Abandoibarra Et.2
Jay Pritzker Pavilion – Millennium Park: A must see on a trip to Chicago is Frank Gehry’s brilliant Pritzker Pavilion with its wonderful stainless steel structure that opened in 2004. The Pavilion is home in the summer to the Grant Park Music Festival featuring the Grant Park Symphony and Chorus as well as to great jazz and world music. 201 E. Randolph, St.
The Dancing House in Prague, Czech Republic is the Nationale-Nederlanden building. It was designed by the Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Milunić in cooperation with Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry on a vacant riverfront plot. Gehry nicknamed the building Ginger and Fred. The building was designed in 1992 and was completed four years later in 1996.
The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College is a performance hall located in the Hudson Valley hamlet of Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The center provides audiences with performances and programs in orchestral, chamber, and jazz music, and in theater, dance, and opera.
“Designed by Frank Gehry, the Fisher Center is the first of his buildings to be constructed in the Northeast. Gehry makes use of the region’s light in his design by cladding the building in stainless steel that undulates to mimic the Hudson Valley’s rolling landscape.” I enjoyed seeing the production of the musical Oklahoma in 2015. In 2019, the Fisher Center won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical for Daniel Fish’s production of Oklahoma, which began life in 2007 as an undergraduate production at Bard and was produced professionally by the Fisher Center in 2015 before transferring to New York City.
Weisman Art Museum is an art museum at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1934 as University Gallery, the museum was originally housed in an upper floor of the university’s Northrop Auditorium.
In 1993, the museum moved to its current building, designed by the Canadian-born American architect Frank Gehry, and renamed in honor of art collector and philanthropist Frederick R. Weisman. Widely known as a “modern art museum,” its 20,000+ acquisitions include large collections of traditional Korean furniture and modern American art. I enjoyed my visit in 2023. 333 E. River Rd.
