Wright Archival Material Headed for New York

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation plans to move massive amounts of the architect’s archived work from Arizona and Spring Green to New York.

The move means that thousands of pieces of Wright’s work never seen before by the public could soon be on display. The Foundation is partnering with Columbia University and the Museum of Modern Art to preserve Wright’s archived photographs, correspondences, drawings and models in a way that would make them accessible to more than just academic researchers. President Sean Malone says they considered finding a way to keep them in Wisconsin but decided against it.

“Building a brand new building is very attractive, and it’s fun,” he says.”And it’s not too hard to raise money for, but that would have been about having a feather in the cap. It wouldn’t have been about having the deepest impact.”

Malone says the exhibits currently on display in Spring Green will remain where they are, as will the ones available for viewing at Taliesin West in Arizona. He says while some are sorry to see the archives moved, many recognize that Wright’s work will soon be showcased alongside artists like Picasso and Jackson Pollock.

“Of course there is an emotional attachment to these materials,” he says.”And they are stunning and they are beautiful, and so the desire to keep it close is meaningful. But again, because of the nature of archives, because these are not public displays, this is an opportunity to increase access, to deepen access.”

Malone says he expects the archival material from Wisconsin to be moved to New York by year’s end. But the bulk of Wright’s work in Arizona could take more than two years to relocate.