The work of Frank Gehry from 1997 to today

In the first building realized in Europe by Frank O. Gehry, from October 2, 2010 the Vitra Design Museum will be presenting a selection of his most important projects of the last 13 years. The projects in the exhibition Frank O. Gehry since 1997 will be displayed in the form of large, detailed studies and competition models from the Gehry Partners' archive. Original drawings by the architect and a multitude of developmental models will offer visitors detailed and readily comprehensible insights into the design process. The 12 projects showcased are not only presented as isolated buildings but also in terms of how they engage with their respective urban setting. Films provide information on the technological solutions Gehry adopts in the various phases of artistic development and construction process.

Among the projects on show are the Guggenheim Museums in Bilbao and Abu Dhabi, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Neue Zollhof in Dusseldorf, the Ray and Maria Stata Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago, the DZ Bank building in Berlin, the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, the AGO Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto and finally the IAC and recently completed Beekman Street Housing skyscraper in Manhattan, New York. Disappointingly, due to the time limitations of the exhibition, Frank Gehry's private residence in in Santa Monica, California – the building that originally made his name in the world of architecture - is not on display. 

The show's main strength lies in giving an insight into Gehry's design process, as buildings evolve from early, conceptual phases right through the construction process to the finish product we see. The projects are displayed in the form of large, detailed studies and competition models from the Gehry Partners' archive and visitors are offered the chance to study never before seen original drawings and developmental models. The latter in particular, which could be considered works of art in themselves, give visitors an idea of how the architect works in the time leading up to the construction phase. This is illustrated particularly well with a series of miniature Beekman towers, the real vision of which has only just been completed in New York.

The exhibition is currently on show at the Vitra Design Museum in Germany (until 13 March). Completed in 1989, the building represented Gehry's first European work.