Displaying items by tag: frank lloyd wright

Few architects have had such a profound effect on contemporary culture as Frank Lloyd Wright. Not only did he change the face of modern living forever (you have him to thank for open floor plans, carports, and air conditioning), his work continues to inspire new generations of designers and design lovers alike. Just this fall, Opening Ceremony dedicated its entire Fashion Week collection to the almighty Wright. Part of the reason that the architect’s influence remains so pervasive, is the abundance of Wright-designed structures that remain intact and open to the public throughout the country.

The Guggenheim family, early Americans who made a fortune in mining, provided its fair share of gossip-column inches in the 20th century. Benjamin Guggenheim, one of 11 children to patriarch Meyer Guggenheim (1828–1905), went down with the Titanic in 1912. He left a widow, Florette Seligman, and three daughters, one of whom would grow up to become the famed art patron Peggy Guggenheim. (Benjamin’s brother Solomon is the man whose name sits atop the Frank Lloyd Wright–designed museum on New York’s Fifth Avenue, which was called both a parking garage and a giant toilet when it debuted. But that’s a whole other story.)

Back in 2013, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, acquired Frank Lloyd Wright’s Bachman-Wilson House from architect/designer team Lawrence and Sharon Tarantino. The only catch was that the house was located 1,200 miles away in Millstone, New Jersey. Staff at Crystal Bridges quickly got to work devising a plan to disassemble, transport, and rebuild the house -- a stunning example of one of Wright’s iconic Usonian homes -- on the museum’s sprawling 120-acre campus. As the project nears completion, the museum has announced that it will officially unveil the structure to the public on November 11, 2015, the fourth anniversary of Crystal Bridges’ opening.

Wright designed the Bachman-Wilson House in 1954 for Abraham Wilson and his wife, Gloria Bachman, whose brother, Marvin Bachman, was an...

The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art announced today that its Frank Lloyd Wright house, which the Bentonville, Arkansas museum transplanted from New Jersey in 2014, will open to the public on November 11. Since its acquisition by the museum, the home, known as the Bachman-Wilson House, has been disassembled, traveled 1,200 miles, and been reconstructed in the museum’s garden.

1. Ever thought about living in one of the world’s most iconic pieces of architecture?

Comedian Bob Hope and his wife, Dolores, commissioned John Lautner to design this futuristic Palm Springs pad in 1973. Completed in 1980, the 23,366-square-foot, 10-bedroom estate is the largest private residence ever created by the influential Modernist architect. Designed to resemble a volcano -- complete with a James Turrell-esque hole in the concrete roof above the central courtyard -- the home’s unique silhouette is one of the most iconic works of architecture in the Coachella Valley. Perched on over six acres  in the posh Southridge community, the home boasts panoramic views of the valley, Palm Springs, and the San Jacinto Mountains. Additional amenities include...

The National Academy Museum & School has added 150 high-resolution artworks to the Google Art Project, enabling individuals across America to access and explore a sample of its rich collection of paintings, sculptures, new media and architectural drawings and models. The works available through the Google Art Project are representative of the wide-ranging collection of the National Academy. Among the works included are paintings by Samuel F. B. Morse and Asher B. Durand - the artists who founded the Academy in 1825 - as well as works by many of the iconic names in American art and architecture, all of whom have been members of the Academy and who contributed to its legacy: Cecelia Beaux, Thomas Eakins, Frank Gehry, Winslow Homer, Jacob Lawrence, Robert Rauschenberg, Cindy Sherman, Wayne Thiebaud and Frank Lloyd Wright, among many others.

Architecture has been a definitive feature of the Guggenheim since Frank Lloyd Wright constructed the museum’s Fifth Avenue spiral rotunda in 1959. In its myriad domestic and foreign manifestations, the museum has consistently commissioned and championed expressive, sculptural buildings — produced by leading practitioners — that often dominate contemporary discussions about trends in museum design. The significance of the Guggenheim as an institution at the center of debates about architecture’s role in museum identity and experience makes Tuesday morning’s announcement especially curious....

Created in 1956 for Frank Lloyd Wright’s only skyscraper, this monumental chair is more than a fascinating piece of Modernist history. Lacy Anderson of Exchange Int, the Houston- and Detroit-based gallery offering the chair, says, “It has several components that identify it as a Frank Lloyd Wright piece, but there’s more to it than that. It’s so unique in its design and you can’t really assign it to a period right off the bat. I also like the way people respond when they see it. We work with people, including collectors and interior designers, who have...

The United States has honored Frank Lloyd Wright -- widely considered the father of modern architecture -- by nominating ten of his buildings for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is the first time that the U.S. has included works of modern architecture on its ballot and the first time that it has nominated a new site since 2013.

According to UNESCO, to be included on the World Heritage List, a site must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of the ten selection criteria, which includes “representing a masterpiece of human creative genius” and “serving as an outstanding example of a type of architectural building, which illustrates a significant stage in human history.” If added to the World Heritage List, the buildings would join the ranks of such iconic modern structures as the innovative Sydney Opera House by Danish architect Jørn Utzon and Spanish Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi’s sculptural works in Barcelona, including Parque Güel and Crypt of La Sagrada Familia.

On February 13, 2015, Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic Hollyhock House will reopen to the public. Located in Hollywood’s Barnsdall Art Park, the Hollyhock House was the first Wright-designed residence in Los Angeles. Commissioned by Aline Barnsdall, an eccentric oil heiress, the structure recently underwent a comprehensive conservation that cost $4.35 million to realize.

Built between 1919 and 1921, the Hollyhock House originally served as Barnsdall’s own venue for producing avant-garde plays. It later became a performing arts complex that included Barnsdall’s private home. In 1927, Barnsdall deeded the site and its structures to the city of Los Angeles.