Photographing Frank Lloyd Wright: Exhibition Partnership
Photographing Frank Lloyd Wright
Driehaus Museum
October 24, 2024 – January 5, 2025
Frank Lloyd Wright instinctively understood the power and potential of photography, relying on it to share his aesthetic vision and shape his public image. Although his architecture has been the subject of many exhibitions, none have surveyed Wright’s work through the eyes of the leading photographers with whom he collaborated. Furthermore, no exhibition has addressed the subject of Wright, himself, as a photographer.
Photographing Frank Lloyd Wright begins with the topic of Wright as a talented amateur photographer experimenting with new technology. Wright purchased a camera in the late nineteenth century, using it to capture landscapes and nature, family and friends, and the traditional architecture that inspired him during a 1905 trip to Japan. Early in his career, Wright also created self-portraits, carefully composed to express a confident, successful persona. New discoveries in the exhibition include a remarkable collection of Wright’s images depicting daily life and activities at the Hillside Home School in Wisconsin, which was owned by his aunts.
The exhibition is organized thematically by the leading photographers who documented Wright’s career and includes Wright’s own photography. These compelling images, published in magazines and books, helped him attain widespread visibility and contributed to his fame. Architectural photographers in the exhibition include Henry Fuermann & Sons, Julius Shulman, Hedrich-Blessing, Ezra Stoller and Pedro Guerrero.
Also included are Torkel Korling and Edmund Teske, whose lesser-known images of Wright’s work will be a new discovery for many visitors. In addition to the architectural photographs, the exhibition presents Wright’s furniture and decorative arts alongside images of the interiors for which he designed them, demonstrating his concept of design unity.
The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, Chicago, is a collaborating partner in Photographing Frank Lloyd Wright. For the duration of the exhibition, the Driehaus Museum and the Trust will offer reciprocal member benefits that include admission to the Driehaus Museum, the Robie House Museum, and Wright’s Home and Studio Museum.
Exclusive Frank Lloyd Wright Trust Member Benefit
Frank Lloyd Wright Trust members receive complimentary general admission for two at the Driehaus Museum and Photographing Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit. This promotional opportunity will run the entirety of the exhibition and includes public guided tours (additional $5 value) of the exhibit for Trust members.
General admission tickets may be purchased up to two weeks in advance, while public tours are available on a “first come-first served” basis. See Plan Your Visit page for Driehaus Museum hours and information.
Purchase tickets via the Driehaus website. Frank Lloyd Wright Trust members will receive a discount code to redeem their complimentary tickets at any time during the Photographing Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit!
Image: Self-Portrait, Frank Lloyd Wright, 1904-6, Collection of Frank Lloyd Wright Trust.