We are deeply saddened by the passing of architect Frank Gehry, whose visionary 1983 renovation of MOCA’s warehouse in Little Tokyo created The Temporary Contemporary—now The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA—the museum’s first home, which has ignited the imaginations of artists and remained at the heart of MOCA’s exhibition program for over 40 years. Reconceiving the 55,000 square foot former Union Hardware warehouse as a space for art through adaptive reuse, Gehry not only changed the course of museum architecture, he redefined what a museum could be and do. His artist-centered approach marked one of the earliest industrial conversions for a contemporary art museum. He strategically preserved the building’s history and raw character while opening vast new possibilities for ambitious, risk-taking work. A close friend to artists, Gehry’s design became a benchmark for many and remains a space of boundless dreams, visionary innovation, and audacious experimentation—as evidenced by our current exhibition, MONUMENTS.
MOCA has presented two exhibitions of Gehry’s work at different moments in his career: in 1988 The Architecture of Frank Gehry, a mid-career survey exhibition of over 250 drawings, photographs, scale models, furniture design, and full-scale architectural constructions, and in 2003–04 Frank O. Gehry: Work in Progress, which highlighted the architect’s unique design process through an examination of his firm’s then-current projects and commissions. Gehry’s legendary creativity and flexibility underscored his unflagging commitment to the power of reimagining the built environment that is in MOCA’s DNA. His legacy will continue to shape the museum and its future.
Over the years, Gehry’s relationship to MOCA was that of a cherished friend and sage advisor. This past May, at the museum’s annual Gala, we had the incredible privilege of recognizing Gehry as a MOCA Legend, to testify to his foundational contributions to the museum and to our field, for which we are forever grateful. Our thoughts are with his wife Berta, his family and friends, his colleagues at Gehry Partners, past and present, and all who have been fortunate to experience his extraordinary architecture and design.
