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National Geographic : 2017 May
Contents
the way people are wired and the way they behave, between famous people and the rest of us. It’s a jour- ney into the wonder and anguish of the mind as told through the lives of 12 figures who reshaped the world. What they shared, above all, was being human. My hope is that telling these stories will highlight the psychological challenges we all face—no matter how big or small—and maybe even eradicate some of the cultural stigma that can go along with them. Frank Lloyd Wright In June 1943, Frank Lloyd Wright received his first commission in New York City: a new museum for Solomon Guggenheim’s collection of modern art. “I need a fighter, a lover of space, an originator, a tester and a wise man,” Guggenheim’s art advisor Hilla Rebay wrote to Wright. “I want a temple of spirit—a monu- ment, and your help to make it possible.” In many ways, Wright was the ideal man for the job. Then 76, the flamboyant architect had been rousing the design world with his bold and innovative buildings for more than 50 years. His artistic vision of “organic” architecture had produced breathtaking structures that melded with nature in a way never seen before. While others erected high-rises ambushing the sky, Wright built light-filled sanctuaries hugging the hills. Everything was novel. But as Guggenheim and his staff would quickly discover, Wright’s extraordinary talent was intertwined with a supreme narcissism that played out in myriad ways with his clients. Rooted in nonconformity, the maverick architect pursued his artistic convictions with little concern for the utilitarian matters of stability, practicality, and cost. Even Wright’s most resolute admirers could not help but pay homage to the depths of what sociologist and architecture critic Lewis Mum- ford described as Wright’s “colossal self-admiration.” Wright’s ego did not wane as he aged—and indeed, took center stage throughout the planning and con- struction of the Guggenheim, exasperating everyone from Guggenheim himself to the contemporary artists whose works would be exhibited. Wright’s conception of the museum required that the paintings be displayed at an angle to accommodate his dramatic spiral walk- way. The project soon raised a fundamental question about what the museum would be showcasing: modern art or Wright’s ego? Impertinent and pioneering, Frank Lloyd Wright embraced his ego throughout his life, promoting it to the world without an ounce of modesty. Plenty of people are narcissistic. Wright’s behaviors line up with a more deeply entrenched mental health diagnosis: narcissistic personality disorder. Symptoms include a grandiose sense of self-importance, a need for excessive admiration, exploitive behavior in relationships, and a lack of empathy. Most people who exhibit charac- teristics of the disorder see nothing wrong with their behavior, nor do they recognize its impact on others. “Early in life I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical humility,” Wright famously said. “I chose the former and have seen no reason to change.” WRIGHT UNABASHEDLY FIDDLED with the truth— how he got his jobs, how much his buildings would cost, even the date of his birth. Records show that he was born on June 8, 1867, but Wright later declared the year to be 1869, presumably because he wanted to appear younger in his elder years. The architect had a challenging relationship with his father, William, but his mother, Anna, doted on him. In his reminiscences, Wright depicts her in almost mythic proportions, both as loyal protector and overseer of his destiny. It was she, according to Wright, who deter- mined that he would become an architect. “He was her protégé, her legacy,” Wright’s sister Maginel recalled. n Excerpted from Andy Warhol Was a Hoarder, by Claudia Kalb, © 2016. Available at shopng.com or wherever books are sold. 148 national geographic • May 2017
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