Bruce Goff at the Art Institute of Chicago

During this event, co-curators Alison Fisher and Craig Lee will present a preview of new research guiding the development of a forthcoming retrospective on American architect Bruce Goff (1904–1982), opening at the Art Institute of Chicago in December 2025.

Best known for his visionary residential designs in the western and midwestern US, Goff created homes that departed from the conventions of midcentury modernism with bold geometries, layered interior landscapes, and a wide range of found and unconventional materials, from goose feathers and coal to sequins.

This talk explores Goff’s experimental approach by charting relationships among the architectural work, personal collections, paintings, and musical engagements of one of the twentieth century’s most creative practitioners.
 

Bruce Goff and Herb Greene. Gene and Nancy Bavinger House, Norman, Oklahoma, Elevation, 1950–51. The Art Institute of Chicago.