LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Groundbreaking architect Frank Gehry, who , was known for designing some of the most . Over the course of his career, he was awarded every major prize architecture has to offer 鈥� including the field鈥檚 top honor, the for what has been described as 鈥渞efreshingly original and totally American鈥� work.
Here’s a closer look at some of his renowned buildings.
Louis Vuitton Foundation, Paris
The art museum, which opened in the Bois de Boulogne park along Paris鈥� western edge in 2014, describes Gehry鈥檚 design on its website as 鈥渁 magnificent vessel for Paris.鈥�
Gehry was inspired by late 19th-century glass and garden architecture, and the building 鈥渇its easily into the natural environment, between woods and garden, while at the same time playing with light and mirror effects,鈥� the museum’s website says.
鈥淭he choice of materials became self-evident: an envelope of glass would cover the body of the building, an assembly of blocks referred to as the 鈥榠ceberg鈥�, and would give it its volume and its vitality.鈥�
Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain
The museum of modern and contemporary art, which opened in 1997 along the Nervion River, is one of Gehry鈥檚 most celebrated works. Made of titanium, limestone and glass, the building has become an iconic attraction and drew 1.3 million visitors last year, according to the museum鈥檚 website. The exterior features curves, and the museum鈥檚 website describes the atrium as 鈥渃rowned with a metallic flower over its skylight.鈥�
New World Center, Miami
The concert hall, described on its website as an 鈥渁rchitectural gem,鈥� opened in 2011. Home to the New World Symphony, an orchestral academy, its atrium features 鈥渃ascading geometric shapes, curved surfaces and a vaulted ceiling with six stories of natural light,鈥� while the performance hall is known for its 鈥渢echnical capabilities and acoustic integrity,鈥� its website says.
His long friendship with the symphony’s co-founder and artistic director laureate, Michael Tilson Thomas, fueled his enthusiasm for the project, the center said Friday in a statement mourning Gehry’s passing.
鈥淲hen Frank Gehry first stepped into the completed New World Center, he told reporters he wept鈥� as he watched rehearsals with Tilson Thomas, the statement said, because he knew it was special.
8 Spruce, New York
At 76 stories high, this was Gehry鈥檚 first skyscraper. The building opened in 2011 in Manhattan鈥檚 Financial District as a 鈥渟triking masterpiece of architectural design where artful living meets practicality and purpose,鈥� its website says, adding that it was the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere at the time of construction.
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles
Located in the city’s downtown and home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, the building opened in 2003.
In a before the opening, the 鈥済listening, curved exterior” was described as embodying 鈥渢he energy, innovation, and creative spirit of the city of Los Angeles and its orchestra.” The interior seeks to amplify concertgoers’ experience of 鈥渢he power and passion of music.鈥�
鈥淭he outside of the building was designed to reflect the aesthetic of the inside, which in itself evolved according to the highest acoustical standards,鈥� Gehry was quoted as saying in the press release.
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