Gehry Draws

by Frank Gehry (Illustrator), Horst Bredekamp (Introduction), Mark Rappolt (Editor)

Drawing as Frank Gehry's way of "thinking aloud": tracing this part of Gehry's creative process through 32 major projects, both built and unbuilt; with more than 900 illustrations. Everyone knows what the distinctive curves and lines of Frank Gehry's buildings look like. But where do they come from? Gehry has described drawing as his way of "thinking aloud"; Gehry Draws traces that thinking through 32 major projects (both built and unbuilt) with more than 500 drawings (many of which have never before been published) and more than 400 additional illustrations―providing a privileged view of the creative practice of a master architect. Horst Bredekamp's introduction relates Gehry's drawing methods to the concept of "disegno," as practiced by Leonardo and Durer―not only the act of drawing and modeling but also the dynamics of creative thinking―and shows how Gehry thinks through the curving movements of his hand on paper. Gehry himself describes for Bredekamp his method in several explanatory sketches, and Bredekamp applies this to a study of drawings made for specific Gehry commissions. Gehry Draws is produced in collaboration with Frank Gehry and his team at Gehry Partners. Project synopses and commentary by Gehry and two of his Partners and Project Designers, Edwin Chan and Craig Webb, guide us through the full range of Gehry production, from the small details of furniture design to such large-scale undertakings as the Disney Concert Hall and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. The drawings, illustrations, and text in Gehry Draws definitively place drawing at the heart of Frank Gehry's creative process. This book is published by The MIT Press in association with Violette Editions.

Genres: Architecture, Art

544 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2004

About the author

Frank Owen Gehry (28 February, 1929 - 5 December, 2025) was a Canadian-born architect and designer.

Gehry is known for his postmodern designs and use of bold, unconventional forms and materials. His most famous works include the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris.

Reviews

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's amazing to see how the architect of such elegant buildings thinks with scribbles.