Canadian Architect Frank O. Gehry, 3rd left and his wife Berta Isabel Aguilera meet Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia before the Prince of Asturias award ceremony in Oviedo, northern Spain, Friday Oct. 24, 2014. Gehry will receive the Prince of Asturias Prize for the Arts. (AP Photo/Paco Garcia)
October 24, 2014 - 11:32 AM
MADRID - Architect Frank Gehry travelled to Spain to receive a prestigious award but shocked his hosts by responding to a reporter's question with an obscene gesture and making contemptuous comments about most modern architecture.
The American-Canadian was in the northern city of Oviedo to accept one of Spain's Prince of Asturias prizes Friday.
Local media reported that on the eve of the ceremony, Gehry reacted with a rude gesture at a news conference when asked if his work was based on spectacle.
Gehry said 98 per cent of buildings today lack sensitivity and respect for humanity, according to El Pais.
He has created the Guggenheim Museum in Spain, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, an arts centre sponsored by the LVMH Fashion Group.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014