Too Bad

Why is it that so many geniuses are such assholes?  Take Frank Lloyd Wright, who, according to himself and no doubt his mother, was the “Greatest Architect Ever”.  I’ve long been an admirer of some of his iconic buildings but had only been in one - the magnificent Guggenheim in NYC - so a chance to tour Taliesin West in Phoenix was not to be passed up even if it cost almost $50 a pop.  

You can only go with a guide but unlike our wonderful Navajo guide at Antelope Slot Canyon, this guide did not understand the concept of letting the site do the talking.  For nearly two hours she managed to tell us all about her life as a former choreographer in New Orleans, her mother who was a famous jazz musician, her philosophy about Life, all whilst sharing her personal interpretations of everything we were seeing.  I was ready to stab her after 5 minutes and myself after 10.  She  NEVER SHUT UP. Which just goes to show you, assholes don’t have to be male or geniuses.

Anyway, back to the male genius kind.  Frank Lloyd Wright had his acolytes/apprentices build Taliesin West by hand, having first hacked a six mile road through the rocky desert, using the rocks, sand and materials at hand, the “desert masonry” as he called it, in 1937.  It was quite remarkable for its time, and it is remarkable still.  Wright came every winter until his death in 1959.  So far so good.  But we knew the details our guide somehow managed to avoid.

Why must genius be always forgiven? Wright abandoned his first wife and 6 children to run off to Europe with his mistress Mamah, a married mother of two, in 1909.  When his wife wouldn’t give him a divorce he built the first Taliesin in Wisconsin in 1911 with money his mother gave him, and he and Mamah lived there together “in sin”.  Quite the scandal, but worse followed.  In 1914 a disgruntled servant set fire to the house and hacked to death anyone trying to escape, including Mamah, her two children and her former in-laws.  Wright was away.

He was finally given a divorce in 1922 and married his mistress of the moment Miriam.  Turns out she was a morphine addict and after a year he moved on to Olgivanna, also married at the time, with a young daughter, and 31 years his junior.  She was, in fact, younger than Wright’s daughters.  Miriam was devastated and vengeful and more scandal erupted.  Wright and Olgivanna lived together at Taliesin and had a child in 1925.  They were married in 1928 and stayed married until his death.

What a trail of hurt and destruction this architect left.  He also lied, stole his mentor’s designs and claimed them as his own, was a massive egotist and control freak - going so far as to design the (mostly uncomfortable) furniture and fixtures for houses and insist his clients use them - and despised and disparaged his contemporaries.

But oh, the Guggenheim!  And Fallingwater, Taliesin, Unity Temple, The Johnson Wax Building!  So many outstandingly beautiful and innovative and, well, genius designs.  My brain hurts from the dilemma.

Thankfully Dale Chihuly is not an asshole as far as I know.  His work is magnificent, and always a feast for the senses.  Not even our tour guide could spoil that although God knows she tried.