Frank Gehry Receives J. Paul Getty Medal at Louis Vuitton-Presented Gala

Photo Credit: Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging

The J. Paul Getty Trust awarded the Third Annual J. Paul Getty Medal to Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry at a gathering of arts and community leaders at the Getty Center in Brentwood on Sept. 28.

Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel introduced Gehry, who was honored for transforming the built landscape with buildings such as Los Angeles’ Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris.

“There have been very few individuals who have changed the course of architecture, and Frank Gehry is one of them.  His use of new technologies and unconventional materials effectively reinvented architecture as we know it,” said J. Paul Getty Trust President and CEO James Cuno in presenting the medal.

“Given the Getty’s sustained commitment to the study, conservation, and exhibition of architecture –from the buildings of ancient Greece and Rome to the earthen architecture of South America and western Africa, to King Tut’s tomb in Luxor and the Mehrangarh Fort in Nagaur, India, and from Louis Kahn’s Salk Institute to Jørn Utzon’s Sydney Opera House – it is fitting that we honor Frank’s many achievements with our highest honor, the 2015 J. Paul Getty Medal,” he continued.

In accepting the award, Mr. Gehry said, “It is a great honor to receive this award from an institution that believes at its core that art and humanities can have a civilizing effect on society. The Getty has proven its dedication to this mission time and time again through its generous grant programs, its broad education and public outreach and, of course, its dedication to providing free community access to its incredible collections. I am very happy to be a part of this vitally important mission.”

More than 350 guests from the worlds of art, architecture, government and business attended a dinner to honor Mr. Gehry in a pavilion on the plaza of the landmark Getty Center. Attendees included Mayor Eric Garcetti, Gustavo Dudamel, Angelica Huston, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and artists Chuck Arnoldi, Larry Bell, Billy Al Bengston, Tacita Dean, Thomas Demand, Joe Goode, Barbara Kruger, Ed Moses, Lari Pittman, Charles Ray, Ed Ruscha, Bill Viola and many others. Other notables included Deborah Borda, Michael Eisner, Aileen Getty, Balthazar Getty, Rosetta Getty, Michael Govan, Agnes Gund, Michael Milken, A.J. Perenchio, and Ann Philbin.

The J. Paul Getty Medal Dinner was presented by Louis Vuitton, with generous support also provided by Gagosian Gallery, Moët Hennessy USA, JUSTIN Wines, Landmark Wines and FIJI Water, as well as the Board of Trustees of the J. Paul Getty Trust.Over more than five decades,