Frank Owen Gehry, was born Ephraim Owen Goldberg on February 28, 1929, in Toronto, Canada. At the age of 17, Gehry moved to California to study at Los Angeles City College before graduating from the Univeristy of Southern California School of Architecture. He then attended Harvard Graduate School of Design, where he studied city planning. After graduating from Harvard, Gehry served as project designer for various firms in Paris and Los Angeles.
Gehry first caught the public’s attention in 1972 with his “Easy Edges” carboard furniture. Often considered an offbeat, Gehry has become one of the world's leading architectural icons.
He is a famous architect best known for his sculptural technique in building design. His most notable work, is the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. He derives his style from late modernism, expressions of the deconstructivist (or DeCon) school of modernist architecture. He often mixes uncoventional shapes and building materials to produce stylish designs. Many of his buildings, including museums and firms, have become tourist attractions all over the world. Seattle’s EMP Music Museum is a clear example of Gehry’s architectural extremes; although, the building is unique, it received many harsh critical attacks. Nevertheless, the majority of his admirers stand by Gehry’s choices in architectural design.
Gehry received the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1989, the highest award that can be received by an architect, and in 1999 won the Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects.
He died on December 5, 2025, at 96.
Sources: “Frank Gehry (1929 - ).” American Jewish Desk Reference. NY: Random House, 1999. pg. 311-312, Wikipedia
Grace Gilson, “18 notable Jews who died in 2025,” JTA, (December 26, 2025).