In this lavish, elegant and expertly curated exhibit, we get a chance to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture whole as we go from one alcove to the next, each replete with photographs and drawings of, and artifacts from, a different one of his famous and more neglected buildings. Wright’s houses and public buildings, with which we have become familiar, are on view here, but we are also treated to his attempts at creating “affordable” housing for the working class that incorporated touches that raised the structures above the drab tenement. Francisco Terrace at 253-7 North Francisco (1895), shown in four vintage black-and-white shots, provided a separate outside doorway for each apartment and had varied patterns in the brick façade—all at minimum cost to the developer. Although the complex is not opulent, Wright was able to introduce into its design some of the complex planes that were his hallmark. That elegance takes on pathos in a shot of a poor young boy hunched against a light pole in the shadowed courtyard as the intriguing forms of the apartments rise above him, gleaming in the sun. (Michael Weinstein)
At Expo 72, 72 East Randolph, (312)744-6630, through September 30
Related Stories
Complicating the Narrative: A Review of Them at Roots & Culture Featuring a cohesive body of works by Flor, Manal Kara and Caleb Yono, the exhibition is a stunning display of the magic that can happen when fixed ideas about artmaking and identity are thrown out the window.
As Tall As My Roots: A Review of Laleh Motlagh's "Contemplation" Motlagh’s ability to treat reduction as a gesture, distilling down to only the necessary, results in an exhibition that is contemplative, introspective, and a stunning demonstration of an artist taking gratifying risks.
The Roots of Pride: A Review of Jerry Pritikin at The Chicago Center for Photojournalism The show “When Then Was Now” gives a glimpse of early LGBTQ+ life in San Francisco—Harvey Milk became mayor and gay activism was gaining momentum. Pritikin, a legend of reportage, takes us back to a time before AIDS reared its ugly head and shows us how the movement looked all those decades ago.
Trust Fall: A Review of Deeper & Deeper at Roots & Culture It is in this interplay between disciplines, between science and art, between truth and fiction, psychology and neuroscience, that Balara and Gonzales suggest the mutual capacity of art to transform all those involved in receiving it.
RECOMMENDED
