{"id":344462,"date":"2025-12-13T02:35:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T02:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/344462\/"},"modified":"2025-12-13T02:35:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T02:35:11","slug":"9-times-frank-gehry-created-objects-beyond-architecture-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/344462\/","title":{"rendered":"9 times Frank Gehry created objects beyond architecture | News"},"content":{"rendered":"

One week after the death of iconic architect Frank Gehry<\/a>, figures and institutions from across the design world<\/a> have reflected on Gehry\u2019s contribution to architectural design<\/a>. As many will know, however, Gehry\u2019s work stretched beyond the design of buildings to encompass fashion, art, products, and other facets of design. Such contributions were recognized in 2016 when Gehry became the first architect to be awarded the Harvard Arts Medal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Below, we have reflected back on some of Gehry\u2019s most intriguing and evocative contributions beyond architecture, demonstrating the architect\u2019s ability to transcend scale, context, and function.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Fish sculptures, 3 World Trade Center. Image credit: Spencer LaskyFish sculptures<\/a>, 3 World Trade Center<\/p>\n

Located in 3 World Trade Center’s lobby, Gehry\u2019s 2024 piece\u00a0Untitled (Fish on Fire, Greenwich Street)\u00a0was a 20-by-7-foot installation born from a yearlong collaboration between Silverstein Properties, Gehry, and the\u00a0Gagosian Gallery.\u00a0The project was said to be the “culmination” of his decades-long exploration of the piscine-inspired form and is illuminated in a warm russet hue from the inside so as to highlight the space as a “dynamic” triple-heighted environment.<\/p>\n

Read more about the design here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Ruminations sculptures, Madison Avenue. Image credit: Frank O. Gehry. Photo: Maris Hutchinson. Courtesy GagosianRuminations sculptures<\/a>, Madison Avenue<\/p>\n

In 2024, the\u00a0Gagosian Gallery\u2019s Madison Avenue location showcased a series of sculptures by Gehry titled Ruminations. At the time, the pieces were said to be in dialogue with the architect\u2019s engagements with fluid aquatic animal forms that date to an inspirational early-80s commission with the Formica Corporation. Notably, the show featured the East Coast debut of Gehry\u2019s “Crocodile Lamp” sculpture, beside selected works on paper and other elaborations on the animal theme.<\/p>\n

Read more about the design here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Crocodile sculptures, Rebecca\u2019s restaurant. Image credit: BonhamsCrocodile sculptures<\/a>, Rebecca\u2019s restaurant<\/p>\n

Gehry designed two sculptural pendant crocodile designs as part of a 1983 commission from restaurateurs Bruce and Rebecca Marder for the design of the interior of their then-new Venice, California restaurant called Rebecca\u2019s.\u00a0Gehry\u2019s design instantly became the\u00a0much-discussed\u00a0backdrop of what, for a while, was the\u00a0preferred haunt\u00a0for Brat Packers and other 80s Hollywood celebrities. Comprised of painted metal and glass, they were originally complemented in the restaurant by a crystal octopus and backlit onyx. The pieces were auctioned in 2022 at Bonhams.<\/p>\n

Read more about the design here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Spinning Tales sculptures, Gagosian Gallery. Image credit: Frank Gehry. Photo: Joshua White. Courtesy of GagosianSpinning Tales sculptures<\/a>, Gagosian Gallery<\/p>\n

Held at the Gagosian Gallery in 2021, Spinning Tales showcased a series of pieces from Gehry throughout his career. The exhibition centered on a trio of sculptures that trace their beginnings to a 1980s\u00a0commission\u00a0Gehry received from the\u00a0Formica Corporation. Gehry had at the time been tasked with using a plastic laminate called\u00a0ColorCore. After shattering a piece of ColorCore in his workshop, an allusion became clear: Gehry eventually glued the scale-like shards together over wire armatures to create a series of what he called\u00a0Fish\u00a0Lamps\u00a0that formed the centrepiece of the exhibition.<\/p>\n

Read more about the design here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Tambour Moon Tourbillon Poin\u00e7on de Gen\u00e8ve Sapphire. Image credit: Louis VuittonTambour Moon Tourbillon Poin\u00e7on de Gen\u00e8ve Sapphire watch<\/a>, Louis Vuitton<\/p>\n

A collaboration between\u00a0Frank Gehry\u00a0and La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, the Tambour Moon collection was inspired by Gehry\u2019s design for the\u00a0Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris\u00a0and the Louis Vuitton Maison Seoul. Like their architectural forebearers, the watch is heavily transparent to five uninterrupted views of its inner workings.<\/p>\n

Read more about the design\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Louis Vuitton handbags, Art Basel Miami. Image credit: Louis VuittonLouis Vuitton handbags<\/a>, Art Basel Miami<\/p>\n

At the 21st edition of\u00a0Art Basel Miami Beach in 2023, a special capsule collection from\u00a0Frank Gehry\u00a0for\u00a0Louis Vuitton was displayed. The handbags collection offered a \u201creinterpretation\u201d of the brand\u2019s iconic Capucines bag, designed to encapsulate four themes: ‘Architecture and Form,’ ‘Material Exploration,’ ‘Animals,’ and the ‘Twisted Box.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more about the design here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Louis Vuitton perfume bottle, Les Extraits Collection. Image credit: Florian Joye via Louis Vuitton Les Extraits CollectionLouis Vuitton perfume bottle<\/a>, Les Extraits Collection<\/p>\n

Taking from the movement and fluidity found in his fish motif,\u00a0Gehry collaborated with Louis Vuitton in 2021 for the design of a new fragrance bottle. As part of Louis Vuitton\u2019s\u00a0Les Extraits Collection, the architect transformed the iconic bottle into a sculptural form that embodied the fragrance\u2019s evocation of travel, designed and developed by master perfumer\u00a0Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud.<\/p>\n

Read more about the design here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Hennessy X.O. decanter. Image credit: HennessyHennessy X.O. decanter<\/a><\/p>\n

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Hennessy X.O., the French cognac distiller unveiled a sculptural decanter designed by\u00a0Gehry in 2020. Using his signature style, Gehry reimagined Hennessy X.O.’s classic design. The bottle was wrapped with crinkled 24-carat gold-dipped bronze and encased in a “fractured” glass glorifier to illustrate its inspirations of water and light.<\/p>\n

Read more about the design here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Bentwood wooden chairs. Image credit: Frank GehryBentwood wooden chairs<\/a><\/p>\n

In 2015, we included Gehry\u2019s bentwood wooden chairs as part of our roundup of chairs designed by architects. \u201cWhile\u00a0Frank Gehry’s bentwood wooden chairs do not spin and bend (on purpose, anyway), they do make for excellent places to sit and think, primarily because of their materiality,\u201d we wrote at the time. \u201cThese chairs are by far the most voluptuous and earthy: where Eames skews toward an impermeable practicality, the fluidity of Gehry’s chairs requires a softer touch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more about the design here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One week after the death of iconic architect Frank Gehry, figures and institutions from across the design world…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":344463,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[449,458,459,64,63,460,134],"class_list":{"0":"post-344462","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-au","12":"tag-australia","13":"tag-design","14":"tag-entertainment"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=344462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344462\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/344463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=344462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=344462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=344462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}