New York Daily Photo Analytics

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Gehry in Gotham

Gehry is an internationally known starchitect and this is his first (long awaited) commission in NYC - click here for photos of the entire building. A quick review of his work will immediately tell you what all the controversy is about (such as the concert hall for Disney or this Dancing House). The recently completed IAC building shown in the photo is located in Chelsea at 19th Street and 11th Avenue and serves as world headquarters for media and internet empire of Barry Diller. This work is rather tame by comparison to Gehry's other work, typically very sculptural and characterized by warped, curved surfaces. His most well known work is the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao Spain.
In spite of the critics, many do feel that works like Gehry's are much needed in NYC, which has been plagued by essentially very conservative, bland, utilitarian office buildings. I have written of a handful of other "starchitects" and their works in the city - see any of the following links: Richard Meier and his residential towers in the West Village, David Rockwell and his renovation work at the W Hotel Union Square and at the Carlton, Philip Johnson and his Urban Glass House and Charles Gwathmey and his 21 story glass residential condo at Astor Place. There are new projects by Santiago Calatrava and Jean Nouvel...

7 comments:

indieperfumes said...

Gorgeous picture!

Brian Dubé said...

Thanks. It is apparently disturbing when I post photos with no people in them.

An Honest Man said...

Disturbing to whom?

I hadn't realised the Guggenheim in Bilbao was by Gehry. Looks a bit different to this one, but neither is bland! Good on him, I say.

Anonymous said...

I'm surprised how good it looks in your photos -- nice work. In real life it's danged ugly.

Anonymous said...

That's Brian's genius with a camera. He makes what looks ordinary or downright ugly to our eye into something beautiful so that the next time we see it we look at it with fresh eyes and a greater awareness. I have not seen this building personally but it looks really interesting in these pictures.

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

a modern day Howard Roark, is he!!! i am off to Seattle in Nov...and hoping to get my first glimpse ever of his unorthodox work there!!!

Brian Dubé said...

anonymous, patricia, moi -
You are all too kind. A beginner am I.