Page 71 - Fortune-November 01, 2018

VENTURE
FOCUS

want to understand the
differences and make
it part of your work
program. I spent time
studying and talking
with Basque families,
the Basque Minister for
Culture [and Language
Policy] and others
to understand their
culture before design-
ing the Guggenheim
Museum Bilbao.
In the early days, they
hire you because they
know you’re struggling,
and they think they can
first child, I agreed to change my sur- Gehry’s get you cheap. In the later days, when you have
name to Gehry. Walt Disney a name, they just want your name.
Concert Hall in
After USC, I got drafted into the U.S. Army downtown L.A. Now I work for people who make a lot of
and, when I came back, went to the Harvard opened in 2003. money from my buildings. But even back in the
Graduate School of Design for city planning. beginning, if a client’s wishes were totally coun-
But I didn’t finish because it was boring. I came ter to my feelings about the work, I wouldn’t
back to L.A. to work for an architectural firm, take the job. If you do the best work with good
then decided to start my own office in 1962. people, the money comes. Today, my second
I had a friend who wanted to build a six- wife, Berta, is CFO of the company and guides
unit apartment house, so we built it together. the ship financially.
We pooled savings and bought the land for Right now, I love designing concert halls.
about $5,000, which was a lot for us. He I just did one pro bono for the West-Eastern
had a connection to Kay Jewelers, and I de- Divan Orchestra, which brings together Israeli,
signed a couple of stores and a warehouse for Palestinian, and other Arab musicians to play
them. So slowly, Frank Gehry and Associates and talk to each other through music. Of all the
got started. awards I’ve received, the most meaningful was
I didn’t go out with any intention to attract getting a doctorate in music from the Juilliard
any particular kind of job. I’d done art instal- School. I don’t play a note, but I got it for mak-
lations at the Los Angeles County Museum of ing buildings for music.
Art for artist friends of mine and became part The number of people practicing architec-
of the group meeting with investors when the ture as an art has dwindled. A lot of buildings
city got ready to build the Museum of Contem- are really just commercial models that, with
porary Art. I did the Temporary Contemporary very little effort, could become special. I believe
design, when MOCA didn’t open in time for it’s possible to create designs that are not face-
the 1984 Olympic Games. less or aggressive but are reasonable containers
Working internationally requires under- to live in and play in, that bring something
standing cultural differences. You have to uplifting and communal to people.

FRANK TREAT ALL JOBS EQUALLY:“With every project, no TEST EVERYTHING: “I don’t have expectations when
I take on a project. I test ideas endlessly and ask
matter how small, act as if it’s the most important
GEHRY’S one. Make sure it’s technically and economically vi- why. I build 20 to 30 models for every project because
BESTADVICE able because you’ll be judged on the smallest things.” you have to give the job its due. You don’t just do the SHUT TERS TOCK
first idea that comes to you, which is easy. It’s not fair
FOUNDER OF FRANK GEHRY AND ASSOCIATES AND GEHRY PARTNERS to do anything less than your best.”

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