Frank Lloyd Wright closes Sunday, May 15
Frank Lloyd Wright exhibition closes Sunday, May 15
Last chance to see this “don’t miss” show
Milwaukee, Wis. – Museum visitors have just a few days left to see the visually-entralling exhibition on Frank Lloyd Wright. With over one hundred rare drawings—including more than thirty never before seen by the public—scale models, furniture, photo enlargements, and rare video footage, Frank Lloyd Wright: Organic Architecture for the 21st Century explores the principles of Wright’s architecture and their relevance today. The exhibition closes on Sunday, May 15.
Reflecting on Wright’s impact during his lifetime and his significance today, the exhibition highlights the many triumphs of Wright’s career and focus on his grand opus of suburban planning, Living City (1958) which, though never realized, was the culmination of all his work.
“Throughout his career, Wright spoke of his organic architecture in terms of time, place, and people. In relation to time, Wright was specifically interested in technological innovation, particularly in how the advances of the day allowed him new freedoms as an architect,” said Brady Roberts, chief curator for the Milwaukee Art Museum. “Regarding place and people, the surrounding landscape and local resources always influenced Wright’s designs and materials, whether for family residence, workplace, or urban plan. He wanted to connect with new technology and use it to advance his architecture.”
Wright also designed furniture, fabrics, art glass, lamps, dinnerware, silver, linens, and graphic arts, which are also featured in the exhibition. Wright was a prolific writer, an educator, and philosopher, authoring twenty books and countless articles, lecturing throughout the United States and Europe, and developing remarkable plans for urban living that continue to be examined by modern architects.
“Wright was a prophetic thinker, decades ahead of his peers. In many ways, key aspects of his career relate to issues and practices of architecture today, including sustainability and efficiency,” said Roberts. “In examining Wright’s concern with material and space efficiency, economical use of manufactured materials, attention to local environment, and use of natural light, we see his profound contribution as a visionary for architectural practice in the twenty-first century.”
Wisconsin is an exceptional resource for exploring Wright-designed buildings, including Wright’s home and studio in Spring Green, known as Taliesin. The exhibition also explores local Wright sites in Milwaukee and Racine.
“Milwaukee has Burnham Street, the Bogk House, the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, and nearby buildings like the Johnson Wax Administration Building and Wingspread in Racine,” said Roberts. “With his home in Oak Park and Taliesin in Spring Green both only a short drive away, Milwaukee is the central starting point for Wright enthusiasts to experience his organic vision.”
In conjunction with the exhibition and in partnership with Kohl’s, the Museum has opened the Kohl’s Art Generation Gallery “Just the WRIGHT Size,” where kids can come create their own architectural masterpieces with wood and foam blocks, draw, and enjoy a miniature Wright-inspired dollhouse. Activities in both the Kohl’s Art Generation Gallery and the Kohl’s Art Generation studio are free.
Admission to the Museum is $14 for adults, $12 for seniors and students, and children age 12 and under are free. The Museum is open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and until 8 p.m. on Thursdays.
Frank Lloyd Wright: Organic Architecture for the 21st Century is organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Phoenix Art Museum in conjunction with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Scottsdale. The exhibition will travel to the Phoenix Art Museum in 2012.
ABOUT FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959) spent more than 70 years creating designs that revolutionized the art and architecture of the 20th century. In all, he designed 1,141 works—including houses, offices, churches, schools, libraries, bridges and museums. Of that total, 532 resulted in completed works, 409 of which still stand. Wright also designed furniture, fabrics, art glass, lamps, dinnerware, silver, linens and graphic arts. In addition, he was a prolific writer, an educator and a philosopher. He authored 20 books and countless articles, lectured throughout the United States and in Europe, and developed a remarkable plan for decentralizing urban America that continues to be debated by scholars and writers to this day.
EXHIBITION SPONSORS
Frank Lloyd Wright: Organic Architecture for the 21st Century is sponsored by SC Johnson Fund and PNC, with the Figge Foundation and Thomas K. Figge. Additional generous support is provided by Andy Nunemaker, the Dorothy W. Inbusch Foundation, the Ruth St. John and John Dunham West Foundation, and the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.
ABOUT THE MUSEUM
The Milwaukee Art Museum’s far-reaching holdings include more than 25,000 works spanning antiquity to the present day. With a history dating back to 1888, the Museum houses a collection with strengths in 19th- and 20th-century American and European art, contemporary art, American decorative arts, and folk and self-taught art.
