A visionary whose work upended the idea of what buildings could look like

Renowned architect Frank Gehry has died at the age of 96.

The Canadian-born American’s death on Friday was confirmed by his chief of staff Meaghan Lloyd.

Rare in the world of architecture, Gehry became a household name thanks to his decades spent subverting norms in the industry.

His work around the globe became tourist attractions in their own right, upending expectations of what buildings were supposed to be and look like.

His disruption of design, form and function, led the jury of the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize, which he was awarded in 1989, to compare him to Picasso, saying he “resists… being bound either by critical acceptance or his successes”.

Gehry at the future site of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island, January 13, 2009. Galen Clarke/ The National Frank Gehry speaks to a TV crew at the future site of the Guggenheim which he designed to be built on Sadiyat Island, January 13, 2009. Galen Clarke/ The National Showing his furniture designs made from corrugated paperboard in March 1972. Getty Images A render of the planned Guggenheim Abu Dhabi building. Photo: Gehry Partners Gehry designed The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. EPA Gehry with his wife Berta at the launch of his eponymous collection with Tiffany & Co. in Beverly Hills on March 26, 2006. Reuters/ Fred Prouser HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak in conversation with Frank Gehry. Victor Besa/ The National The Gehry-designed Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany. Grischa/ Unsplash Frank Gehry with his sons Alejandro and Samuel. Getty Images Gehry and Los Angeles developer Rob Maguire stand behind a model of the campus at the giant Playa Vista project in LA. Getty Images Gehry's Binoculars Building in Venice, Los Angeles is home to Google. Reuters US architect Frank Gehry is knighted with the French Legion of Honor by culture minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres in Paris, October 3, 2006. Reuters The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain which was designed by Frank Gehry. Jorge Fernández Salas/ Unsplash The Dancing House in Prague is a famous Gehry project. Te Lun Ou Yang/ Unsplash A rendering of the planned Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, scheduled for completion in 2025. Gehry Partners, LLP Gehry's Santa Monica house showcases some of his favourite materials.