Frank Gehry’s LACMA proves fascinating and awe inspiring

By Ellie Shalvarjian

Staff  Writer

Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s exhibition on Frank Gehry proved to be fascinating and awe-inspiring.

The exhibit was originally opened on September 13th and will carry on until March 20th. It highlights the design and architecture of the buildings he developed, including some which that have become world-renowned such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The exhibit includes sixty-five 3D models of Gehry’s designs, over two hundred drawings of his, many of which have never been released, and a couple of short films on him, and his architecture, that are projected on various walls.

When first entering the exhibit, which was hosted in the Resnick Pavilion, you see a handwritten message from Gehry. The message was sentimental and reflected on his past work, innocence, and times when he wasn’t widely known. This aspect of the exhibit made it more personalized and engaging.

The most interesting part of the exhibit is the fact that many works of Gehry’s that have never been released or shown anywhere were introduced. This made it unique and exciting since it was the first time these things were being shown. For example, Gehry’s photography isn’t widely known and in the exhibit they showed many photos he took that had never been shown before.

The 3D models of buildings that Gehry had built were not only breathtaking but also extremely intricate letting the museum goer see every last detail of the model. Some of the models were of buildings that he designed that were never created, which was also very interesting since it was the only way the person can see those buildings in 3D.

The videos that were being projected on the various walls enhanced the experience since they give more of an in depth look into his life. Many of the videos being streamed included interviews with Gehry so the viewer could see how he thinks of his own architecture and hear his creative thought process.

With over two hundred drawings of buildings Gehry created scattered around the exhibition there was no shortage of things to see. Gehry’s handwriting was somewhat illegible, which made it hard to understand what was being shown. However, they were still interesting and helped the viewer become curious about his other work.

The extensive models, drawings, videos, and photos can leave the viewer entranced but somewhat overwhelmed. While everything was nice to look at, it was hard to take it all in since it would take hours on end to see all of the models and designs closely. This made the exhibit feel tiresome and excessive.

While the interior setup was well done, it was confusing on how to get to the actual exhibit. The museum goer has to walk into the building, then through another exhibit, and finally they have to find the small entrance into the specially ticketed exhibit for Frank Gehry. This excessive process to see one exhibit bothersome.

Overall, the exhibition was beautiful, extremely fascinating, and completely worth taking the time to see. The exhibit contained many personalized touches and had many drawings and buildings never before seen which made it a once in a lifetime experience. However, the exhibit, at times, could be overwhelming but not enough so to take away from the value of the experience.

The Frank Gehry exhibition at Los Angeles County Museum of Art opened on September 13, 2015 and closes on March 20, 2016. The ticket has to be purchased separately from general admission.