Architects are the true artists of today. The warped, cubistic, titanium fantasy of Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Bilbao, the curvaceous wonder that is Norman Foster’s Swiss Re building in London – where are the equivalents in contemporary art of these revolutionary buildings? The culture of the ready-made and the rise of video has all but exiled sculptural invention from the art gallery. Artists just don’t think it is their job to imagine new shapes – or so you might think until you visit the Guggenheim Bilbao.
The shimmer of the building lifts you, but when you walk inside, architecture is trumped by the most extraordinary sculpture of our time. After you experience this work of art, Gehry’s architecture – which looked so brilliant – starts to seem flimsy, no more than a series of clever moves. It lacks the authority of Richard Serra’s sculpture, which seems more solid, heavier.
more from The Guardian here.