Frank Lloyd Wright designed some of the most beautiful buildings of the 20th century and 2017 celebrates the 150th birthday of the highly influential American architect. In honour of this anniversary the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York are holding a major exhibition of his work in Frank Lloyd Wright at 150: Unpacking the Archive. Best known for his iconic Fallingwater, the architect designed over 1000 buildings, nearly half of which were realized and this show offers a thrilling insight into the mind of this prolific and visionary man. Each section of the show is based around a key item or group of objects from his archives, and it comprises around 450 works including models, building fragments, films and drawings. Open now until 1 October 2017.
The Milwaukee Art Museum is also hosting an exhibition dedicated to the architect: Frank Lloyd Wright: Buildings for the Prairie. Drawn from the very significant collection of his early works in the Wasmuth Portfolio of lithographs, named after its German publisher, the show reflects the breadth and beauty of his output and includes designs for furniture, stained glass and textiles as well as architecture. 28 July – 15 October 2017.
The Power Station of Art in Shanghai has staged several successful exhibitions over recent years dedicated to contemporary Japanese architecture, allowing them to reflect on the relations between China’s architecture, society and humanity. They are continuing on this theme with the first global retrospective of the highly-acclaimed Japanese architect and winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, Toyo Ito: On the Stream, on until 23 July 2017. The title On the Stream is inspired by the ancient Chinese tradition when intellectuals drank wine from cups that floated on a winding stream and stopped before them, shared their thoughts, and raised their cups for celebrations. It also reflects the design career of Toyo Ito, where he is constantly collecting thoughts from the ever-running stream of architectural innovations. His fluid, flexible and changing works are just like whirlpools in the stream, individually existing while blending into waves of the stream.
Over on British soil an exhibition comparing the design methods of two of the most highly recognised architects of the 20th century: Mies Van der Rohe and James Stirling: Circling the Square. It offers a renewed examination of their iconic architectural schemes proposed for the same site in the city of London. On at RIBA until 20 August 2017.
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