Frank Lloyd Wright was an influential American architect known for his pioneering organic style. He designed many notable structures including Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum. Wright had an unconventional personal life with three marriages and was known for his strong personality and visionary designs that integrated with nature. He developed new approaches to architecture like Usonian houses that set trends for affordable suburban design.
2. Life of Frank Lloyd Wright
Charismatic, opinionated, arrogant,
genius
Architect, interior designer, art
dealer, fashion designer
He would design everything about the
interior of the house
Furniture, artistic glass, accessories
Would often include artwork he
procured as an art dealer
Even fashioned garments for the lady
of the house to match the theme of
the house
3. Married three times
First wife “Kitty” while at Adler and Sullivan in 1889
Lasted for over 20 years
Had six children
Ran away with a client’s wife – Mamah Cheney
Spent a year in Europe before returning to Chicago
Studied classical architecture
Lived in Italy
Built Taliesin in Wisconsin
Mamah was murdered
Second wife was “Miriam” in 1923
Lasted only a year
Morphine addict
Third wife was Olgivanna in 1928
Married to her until his death
4. Important works
Edgar J. Kaufman house at Bear
Run, Pennsylvania
Known as Fallingwater
Incorporated Wright’s organic
style with the trending
“international style” that was
emerging from Europe
May have been created due to a
slight by the Museum of
Modern Art
Also said that Wright had over
nine months to design the
house, but no plans had been
drawn up until four hours
before the client was to arrive
and check the progress
5.
6. Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Japan
Wright’s first international commission
Designed to blend traditional Japanese architecture with modern,
style designs
Underwent many changes during the decade long building process
Final plans mimic Mount Fujiyama
Built on a drained marsh
Wright was worried about earthquakes
Developed avant‐garde engineering techniques to protect the structure
from damage
Likened to a ship riding on the ocean
Rooms were small and economical instead of grand and spacious
7.
8. Taliesin and Taliesin West
Taliesin was built in Hillside, Wisconsin
Initially was supposed to be a house for his mother
Built as an investigation into meditation on nature through
architectural design
Had to be rebuilt three times because of fire
Almost a sketchbook of Wright’s ever‐changing style
Many redesigns, additions, elaborations, and alterations
The beginning location of the Taliesin Fellowship
Taliesin was foreclosed on several times
9. Taliesin West was built in the Arizona
foothills outside of Phoenix, Arizona
Built late in Wright’s life
Combined many of the styles and
experience Wright had developed
Very similar to Fallingwater
Both deal in permanence and
impermanence
Both are designed in reaction to the
international style
Both use contrast of materials as a
basis of expression
Whereas Taliesin was founded on unity
and singularity, Taliesin West was based
on diversity and complementarity
Angular, rough, composed of
primitive rubble walls
Seems strange and enigmatic
Provides an aura of mysticism and
leaves guests with a feeling of
visiting the “extraordinary”
10.
11. Usonian Houses
Wright was approached and asked to design an affordable, practical
home for the average middle class family
Should cost no more than $5,000
Built on a concrete slab, eliminate both basement and attic
Open, flowing design of the interior taken from prairie style
Bedrooms were small to make people gather in the living areas
Furnishings were largely built in
In line with Arts and Crafts movement from early in Wright’s career
Featured new approaches to construction
Experimented with rectangles, triangles, hexagons and circles
Used “sandwich” walls made of layers of wood siding and building paper
with plywood cores
Most of the furnishings were built of plywood with cushions
Shelves were built in to reduce clutter
Everything was easy to disassemble and move if the client’s needs changed
Set a new style for suburban design
The new model for independent suburban living
Open plans, slab foundations, simplified construction techniques
Copied by countless developers
12.
13. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 5th Avenue,
New York City
Started in 1943 and took over 16 years to finish
Last great work of Wright’s life and most
recognized masterpiece
Completed six months after his death in 1959
Created to be a home for Guggenheim’s
collection of contemporary abstract art
Wright worked closely with Hilla Rebay,
Guggenheim’s curator and director of the
Guggenheim foundation
Based on nature
Uses the circle and spiral
Inside resembles a seashell
Gently sloping spiral ramp
Open interior
Completely unexpected
Wright said to Guggenheim and Rebay “the whole
thing will either throw you off your guard entirely or
be just about what you have been dreaming about”
14.
15. Works Cited
Thornton, By Rosemary. "Prairie Style House, 1900‐1920." Home Remodeling, Repair and Improvement ‐
Products, Ideas and How‐To Tips. Web. 20 Nov. 2010.
Adams, Laurie. Art across Time. New York: McGraw‐Hill, 2011. Print.
"Architect Studio 3D, from the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust." Architect's Studio 3D. Frank Lloyd
Wright Preservation Trust. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. <http://www.architectstudio3d.org/AS3d/home.html>.
Delmar, J. H. "Wright on the Web: A Virtual Look at the Works of Frank Lloyd Wright." Delmars.com. Web. 20
Nov. 2010. <http://www.delmars.com/wright/index.html>.
Frank Lloyd Wright: A Film By Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. Dir. Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. Perf. Philip Bosco,
Edward Herrmann, Sab Shimono, Julie Harris. PBS Paramount, 2004. DVD.
Levine, Neil. The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1996. Print.
1901, By. "Frank Lloyd Wright." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 20 Nov. 2010.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lloyd_Wright>.
http://www.franklloydwright.com/index.htm
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,758888‐4,00.html
http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1483&ResourceType=Building