Fish Forms
In 1983, the Formica Company initiated a competition for designers to use a new material called Colorcore. Frank Gehry thought it might make an interesting lamp and when he accidentally broke a piece of the material it reminded him of a fish scale. Fish are a personal icon for the architect who remembers live carp in the bathtub at his grandmother’s house in Toronto where they were fated to become gefilte fish for the sabbath. A representative selection of the nearly 3 dozen lamps produced by New City Editions lamps will be on view, including Fish Lamp (1990) from The Jewish Museum’s collection.
Born in 1929 in Toronto, Canada, Gehry is a celebrated architect and designer. Notable projects include the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Bilbao, Spain; the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, California; and the Experimental Music Project (EMP), Seattle, Washington. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Gehry received the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1989. His architectural firm, Gehry Partners, LLP, is currently based in Los Angeles.
Image:
Frank O. Gehry (American, b. Canada, 1929)
Fish Lamp, 1990
Glass and silicone with glass and wood base
Height: 69 in. (175.3 cm)
The Jewish Museum, New York
Purchase: The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation Fund and Ruth Rose Fund, 1998-62
Press contacts:
Anne Scher or Alex Wittenberg 212.423.3271 or pressoffice@thejm.org
Opening august 31
The Jewish Museum
1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street, New York
Museum hours are Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 11am to 5:45pm; and Friday, 11am to 4pm
Museum admission is $12.00 for adults, $10.00 for senior citizens, $7.50 for students
free for children under 12 and Jewish Museum members
Admission is free on Saturdays