He’s called (by some) the most important architect working today, which is debatable, but there’s no question that Frank Gehry is one of the world’s most innovative and creative architects. In the U.S., he’s still having trouble with the Eisenhower Memorial in Washington, despite a revision in his design delivered earlier this month. According to the Associated Press,
In the revised design, Gehry’s Los Angeles-based team eliminated two large, metal tapestries on the sides of the memorial park, along with some large columns. One long, stainless steel tapestry would remain as a backdrop, depicting the Kansas landscape of Ike’s boyhood home
. The park would also include statues of Eisenhower as president and World War II general and inscriptions from some famous speeches.
But if he can’t get traction here, two other big Gehry buildings are opening this fall. Biomuseo, his only commission in Latin America, opens Oct. 2 month at the entrance to the Panama Canal, Pacific Ocean side, in Panama. This museum looks familiar — except for the wild and playful colors. Frankly, pun intended, it looks attractive and, if designed to attract families, inviting.
Biomuseo, btw, is a joint venture with the Smithsonian — specifically, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution. The other parters are “the non-profit Amador Foundation, established by private citizens of Panamá to raise awareness of the country’s natural and cultural history and encourage preservation of its extraordinary biodiversity, and the Government of Panamá, which contributed the site for the project and adjacent revenue-producing properties,” according to a press release.
The museum is centered around an outdoor atrium, covered by the canopies, which refer to local buildings and Panamá’s neotropical habitat. Seems fitting to me.
Meanwhile, in Paris, Fondation Louis Vuitton opens on Oct. 27. It’s definitely a Gehry building but a little different from the others too. It’s supposed to resemble a cloud, and it’s on the northern edge of the Bois de Boulogne.
A few words, but not much, about the exhibitions program are here. Â It has 11 exhibition galleries, for permanent collection display and special exhibits–the first about the construction of the building.
Here’s a look at that.
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Biomuseo (top) and Fondation Louis Vuitton (bottom)