New Exhibit Explores WRIGHT BEFORE THE LLOYD
WDCB’s Gary Zidek visits the Elmhurst Art Museum to talk to historian Tim Samuelson about a new Frank Lloyd Wright exhibition.
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“I found this whole period really interesting. It’s not what people expect Frank Lloyd Wright’s work to look like. In fact, there’s a lot of people who are really into Frank Lloyd Wright and they see some of these things, and I have Wright’s name on it, and they’ll go ‘WHAT?! NO!’ … well, yeah it is.” - Tim Samuelson talking about some of the artifacts from the early stages of Wright’s career.
Spinning blocks with historian/curator Tim Samuelson at the Elmhurst Art Museum
Architecture enthusiasts from all over the world come to the Chicago-area to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Park home and studio and tour the surrounding area, which includes the densest concentration of Wright designed buildings in the world. A new exhibition at the Elmhurst Art Museum will offer a prologue of sorts to the more well-known part of the architectural icon’s career. The exhibit, titled WRIGHT BEFORE THE LLOYD, offers an up-close look at the Wisconsin native’s creative explorations before he turned 30. Every artifact in the exhibition comes from the personal collection of its curator, Chicago historian Tim Samuelson.
Historian/curator Tim Samuelson standing next to a Wight-designed window
While most Wright exhibits and projects focus on his work starting in the early 1900’s, Samuelson is intrigued by what led up to that period and how Wright became the architect we all know today.
Wright-designed fireplace
“There were early Wright or Adler & Sullivan buildings, that Wright worked on, that got severe remodelings, where people would gut the interiors, there goes the fireplace, there goes the ornamental trim, and who was there out in the dumpster? Why … me!” - Curator Tim Samuelson talking about his passion for saving pieces of Wright designed buildings that were being thrown out.
Upclose look at concrete ornamentation from a Wright building
Before going out on his own, Wright worked with iconic architect Louis Sullivan. His impact on Wright’s work, as well as other influences are illuminated through the various pieces in the exhibit. Samuelson says this exhibit ends when Wright officially opens up his studio in Oak Park.
Up-close looks at some of the ornamentation you might not associate with Frank Lloyd Wright structures.
WRIGHT BEFORE THE LLOYD will be on display at the Elmhurst Art Museum through February 14, 2021. You can find out more about the exhibit and make reservations at elmhurstartmuseum.org/
As an added bonus, the museum is providing a socially distanced self-guided, outdoor walking tour of Elmhurst architecture. If you purchase an admission to the Elmhurst Art Museum you’ll get a link for an audio tour around Elmhurst, which is the only city that can claim to be home to houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe (click for more information).
Young Frank Lloyd Wright
