Ezra Stoller Captures Frank Lloyd Wright’s Iconic Buildings

In honor of the 150th anniversary of the iconic architect's birth, Frank Lloyd Wright will be celebrated in numerous ways this month: MoMA will open "Frank Lloyd Wright at 150: Unpacking the Archive" this month, the Guggenheim is planning a series of events marking Wright’s birthday on June 8, and fabric house Schumacher has even released a new line of textiles created from Wright's archival designs. For those more partial to photographs, this summer Chelsea's Yossi Milo Gallery is staging Ezra Stoller Photographs Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture, a stunning array of black-and-white images of the architect's work.

Architect and photographer, by all accounts, had a unique relationship of mutual creative respect. “Stoller was no mere photographer, and Wright trusted that he had both the skill and vision to capture his creations as he wanted them to be seen, experienced, and especially remembered,” Milo explains. Once, in response to an editor’s query on whether Wright would instruct Stoller on how he’d like his buildings documented, Wright replied: “Ezra will know.”

In 1945, Stoller was commissioned by Architectural Forum to photograph Wright’s own homes in Taliesin in Wisconsin and Taliesin West in Scottsdale. From there he went on to capture virtually all of Wright's most iconic structures, many of which have been designated National Historic Landmarks. The 20 gelatin silver prints featured in Yossi Milo's exhibition include the Guggenheim Museum, Fallingwater, and the Johnson Research Tower in Racine, Wisconsin.

“What makes Stoller so distinctive is his unparalleled skills in offering up a three-dimensional experience of architecture,” points out Yossi Milo. Rather than presenting routine images, Stoller sought out a singular vantage point while emphasizing volume, line, color, and even the texture of the materials used such as the reinforced concrete of the Guggenheim.  “Stoller’s images are always carefully composed and give a sense of the sculptural nature of Wright’s projects,” adds Milo.

Photographing Wright’s buildings was no simple task, and Stoller spoke of the challenges of presenting the Johnson Research Tower’s façade as well as its interior in one single image. As a solution, Stoller photographed the building backlit by the rising sun. “In fact, Philip Johnson coined the [term] 'Stollerized' to describe the complete, thorough, and artistic manner in which Stoller documented the building,” points out Milo.

A number of the images in the exhibition are signed by Stoller, who was honored with the American Institute of Architects' first Award for Architectural Photography in 1961. His photographs can be found in the permanent collections of the Whitney; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and the Montreal Canadian Centre for Architecture. "Today, Stoller is widely recognized for shaping the perceptions of Wright’s achievements and Modernist architecture in general," says Milo. Yet another reason to catch this show.

"Ezra Stoller Photographs Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture" will open June 29 and run until August 25, 2017.