The Centre Pompidou in Paris is currently hosting Frank Gehry’s first major retrospective in Europe. Gehry, who is best known for his expressive, sculptural buildings, is one of the most influential figures in contemporary architecture. Since opening his first office in Los Angeles in the early 1960s, Gehry has revolutionized architecture’s aesthetics, its social and cultural role, and its relationship to urban environments.

Shortly after opening his own office, Gehry fell in with the California art scene, befriending important artists such as Ed Ruscha, Richard Serra, and Claes Oldenburg. Gehry’s relationships with these artists helped him develop his unique ability to bridge the gap between art and architecture. Additionally, Gehry’s encounter with the works of Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns paved the way for a reconfiguration of his style all together.