The House That Wright Built
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The recent passing of architectural photographer, Julius Schulman shines a light on modernist architecture yet again and reminds us that The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum celebrates the 50th anniversary of its landmark building with the exhibition Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward, through August 23rd. Wright died shortly before the completion of this American landmark in 1959.
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An influential designer and prolific modernist architect Wright built over 400 projects, of which around 300 survive today. Whatever region of the United States you visit there is most likely an example of Wright’s work close at hand. His aesthetic is often described as “organic”. He said “The good building makes the landscape more beautiful than it was before the building was built” and this was achieved by his incorporation of natural elements present in the surrounding landscape. Every detail was accounted for within the scope of his architectural projects down to the furniture and lighting fixtures, a practice that was uncommon in the early mid-20th century. His son, Lloyd Wright and grandson followed in his footsteps as architects, designing buildings in the Southern California region.
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In addition to being a visionary architect he had a scandalous personal life filled with tragedy and tons of women. A book has even been written about his romantic exploits called “The Women” and a theatrical production, Work Song, was staged around his tumultuous life in 2000.
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Several Frank Lloyd Wright buildings are open to the public, and a few areas of the country host a concentration of his work such as Illinois and California. There are several ways to see Wright architecture up close and personally. The Marin County Civic Center in Northern California,The Guggenheim Museum in New York City, Southern Florida College in Florida, and Hollyhock House in Los Angeles are just a few locations. See more examples of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work through Getty Images here.
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Faggins
