ARCHITECTURE:Frank Lloyd Wright-Unpacking the Archive
Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the most prolific and renowned architects of the 20th Century, a radical designer and intellectual who embraced new technologies and materials, pioneered do-it-yourself construction systems as well as Avant-Garde experimentation, and advanced original theories with regards to nature, urban planning, and social politics (Part II).
By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: MoMA Archive
Marking the 150th anniversary of Frank Lloyd Wright’s birth on 8/61867, the exhibition “Frank Lloyd Wright at 150: Unpacking the Archive” at MoMA comprise 450 works made from the 1890 through the 1950s, including architectural drawings, models, building fragments, films, television broadcasts, print media, furniture, tableware, textiles, paintings, photographs, and scrapbooks, along with a number of works that have rarely or never been publicly exhibited. The exhibition is divided into 12 sections each of which investigates a key object or cluster of objects and seeks to open up Wright’s work to critical inquiry and debate, and to introduce experts and general audiences alike to new angles and interpretations of this extraordinary architect. The transfer of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives in 2012 to MoMA and to Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library at Columbia University presented an unprecedented occasion to reveal the extent to which the Archives still has new perspectives, themes, and connections to offer on Wright’s work and legacy. Wright designed over 1000 projects throughout the world, including countries such as Japan and Iraq. His design practice encompassed all scales and building types, from light fixtures, rug patterns, and furniture, to residences, museums, and skyscrapers, as well as landscape designs, and community and regional plans. The exhibition organized around a central chronological spine highlighting the major events in Wright’s life and career, which are illustrated with some of his finest drawings and include key works such as “Unity Temple” (1905-08), “Robie House” (1908-10), “Fallingwater” (1934–37), “Johnson Wax Administration Building” (1936-39), and “Beth Sholom Synagogue” (1953-59). Unfolding from this orienting spine are 12 subsections, covering themes both familiar and little explored, that highlight the process of discovery undertaken by invited scholars, historians, architects, and art conservators. These include Wright’s proposed design for a Rosenwald School for African American children, as well as his engagement with the imagery and form of Native American design in his quest for an original American architecture of the future. A section exploring Wright’s design for a model farm is juxtaposed with a section that explores his lifelong interest in projecting an urbanism appropriate to an era of new technologies of transportation and communication. A section is centered on Wright’s attempt to democratize his vision through DIY building systems.
Info: Curators: Barry Bergdoll & Jennifer Gray, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), 11 West 53 Street, New York, Duration: 12/6-1/10/17, Days & Hours: Mon-Thu & Sat-Sun 10:30-17:30, Fri 10:30-22:00, www.moma.org
