Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, author of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Biomuseum, among other works, died this Friday in California, United States, at the age of 96.
Gehry, who was born in Toronto and moved to Los Angeles as a teenager, died at his home in the California city of Santa Monica after suffering a respiratory illness.
"We deeply regret the death of Frank Gehry, architect of the Biomuseum. The building features a public outdoor atrium covered by colorful metal canopies, designed to protect visitors from frequent rains. The Biomuseum is his first work in Latin America and in the tropics," reads the statement posted by the Biomuseum on its Instagram account.
"His legacy will live on in every curve and color of his Panamanian masterpiece, which is part of everyone's heritage; also in the amazed eyes of those who visit it and in the grateful heart of our country. Rest in peace, dear Frank," the statement adds.
About Frank Gehry The architect, who changed his surname from Goldberg to Gehry in 1954, achieved international fame in the late 20th century with the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, inaugurated in 1997 and considered by specialized media and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation itself as one of the most influential works of contemporary architecture.
Among his most outstanding projects are also the Dancing House in Prague (1996), the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles (2003), and the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris (2014).
"We want to express our most sincere condolences to his wife, Mrs. Berta Aguilar Gehry, his children, and his entire family," the statement that the Biomuseum posted on its Instagram account reads. Those in charge of this site highlight Gehry's legacy.
About the Biomuseum The building was designed to tell the story of how the Isthmus of Panama emerged from the sea, joining two continents, separating a great ocean into two, and forever changing the planet's biodiversity. Gehry used vibrant colors and irregular shapes to reflect the country's natural diversity.
