Over the course of this almost year-long #stampoftheday odyssey, I’ve learned some delightful trivia, unearthed some amazing stories, and become more educated about stamps and the wonderfully odd world of stamp collecting. But what’s made it especially interesting, entertaining (to me), and worth continuing are the many ways that these daily stamps have given me a way to record some of my family’s stories, reflect on my childhood and adolescence, and explore a host of contemporary issues and debates.
Today’s stamp – a 2-cent stamp picturing Frank Lloyd Wright that was issued in 1966 – falls into the last category. At the risk of stating the obvious, Wright was an astonishingly talented architect. Like many people, I’ve stood in amazement as I took in one of his buildings – in my case the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.
But Wright also was a unique – and at times quite challenging – person. As the headline of a 2019 article in The Independent on the 50th anniversary of his death (on April 9, 1959), noted: “Frank Lloyd Wright’s private life was even more unforgettable than his buildings” In other words, Wright is a singular example of the persistent question: when, if ever, should we tolerate bad behavior? Is it acceptable if the person is exceptionally talented? How about if they just believe they’re exceptionally talented or are otherwise exempt from the norms of appropriate perhaps even civilized behaivor.
Wright – who supposedly was an (if not the) inspiration for Howard Roark, the architect protagonist of Ayn Rand’s “The Fountainhead” – had a somewhat infamous personal life. He was married three times and had a quite public affair with a women who died in a fire set by a servant at Taliesin, the house he shared with her.
More important, to me, is the way Wright interacted with others, including (or, perhaps particularly, students. As Marcus Field, author of the 2019 article in The Independent wrote: “Wright’s vanity was legendary – he was once overheard singing “I am the greatest” to himself – which didn’t make him easy to work for. One apprentice, the Austrian Rudolph Schindler, described Wright in a letter to his friend the architect Richard Neutra, thus: ‘He is devoid of consideration and has a blind spot regarding others’ qualities. Yet I believe, that a year in his studio would be worth any sacrifice.’ And on meeting Wright himself, Neutra wrote: ‘He is truly a child, but not a well-behaved one.'”
Field added: “When questioned about his vanity, Wright justified himself by saying: ‘Early in life I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical humility; I chose honest arrogance.'” He refused, for example, to affiliate with the American Institute of Architects during his career, going so far as to call the organization “a harbor of refuge for the incompetent,” and “a form of refined gangsterism.”
Bizarrely, many of Wright’s personal foibles seem to have been recently replicated at Taliesin West, Wright’s former winter home in Arizona, which, until last June also housed a school of architecture. According to ArtNews, the split was “fueled by a widespread sense of a deeply abusive culture” from the top management of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, which oversees Taliesin West.
Specifically, ArtNews reported, “in interviews, two students and five former employees of the foundation have made allegations of intimidation, threatening comments, retaliation, and a hostile work environment. …[The] alleged behavior includes screaming, belittling, and intimidating staff, threatening lawsuits against critics, and firing employees or forcing them out for criticizing his leadership.”
Thankfully, we are increasingly, unwilling to accept such behavior in our workplaces and our relationships. And yet, there’s a lingering sense that maybe, just maybe, the geniuses among us are allowed a little slack. The novelist TC Boyle, for example, who wrote a whole book featuring Wright. When it came out in 2019, he told Field: “Was he just a womanizer? I don’t think so. He needed challenging, attractive women by his side. He could only create with his back against the wall and his relationships were essential to his work.” Boyle added that even though Wright could be difficult, “What really matters is that he made great buildings. Nothing can detract from that.”
I’m not sure I agree. I’ve been fortunate that in my professional and personal lives I’ve only had to interact with a handful of – what’s the technical term – oh yes – “assholes.” And I have found my tolerance for and willingness to accept bad behavior has definitely waned. At minimum, it seems to me, it should not be ignored but named for what it is…even when it’s carried out by someone who is otherwise quite talented. Otherwise, nothing will ever change.
Be safe, stay well, fight for justice and work for peace.