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May 8, 2009
Essence of the Architect
The New York Times Book Review
by Martin Filler
Barbara Isenberg’s “Conversations With Frank Gehry” is the latest attempt to elicit the essence of his creative method in his own words. Isenberg, a Los Angeles-based writer on the arts, exhibits neither [Kurt] Forster’s intellectual sheen nor [Mildred] Friedman’s comprehensive expertise, but nonetheless offers worthwhile new information for architecture devotees and an engaging introduction for general readers.
Doubtless eager to remain in her subject’s good graces, Isenberg poses few questions of the confrontational sort that wise interrogators withhold until the end of a session, lest they be shown the door. For example, from her upbeat recapitulation of Gehry’s Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn — a large-scale mixed-use urban redevelopment centered on a professional basketball arena — you’d never know that the scheme has aroused heated opposition from community groups and planning experts, or that its future is imperiled by the current economic crisis.
NoLandGrab: Folks who've shelled out 25 bucks to see Isenberg interview Gehry at the New York Public Library this coming Monday evening may come away disappointed if Isenberg "poses few questions of the confrontational sort."
Posted by eric at May 8, 2009 9:29 PM