These two books make important contributions to our understanding of Frank Lloyd Wright's long career and the formation of his critical and historical reputation, now extending into our own time well over a half century after his death. Both cast significant new light on overlooked or minimally examined aspects of Wright's life's work.
Making expert use of the rich archival holdings of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and many other sources, Kathryn Smith has produced a compelling account of Wright's negotiations and preparations for a career-long series of exhibitions of his work, mainly in the United States, but also in Europe. Although Wright's exhibitions are mentioned in earlier biographies and scholarship, they had yet to receive focused and consistent scholarly attention. Thus, Wright on Exhibit admirably fills a lacuna in Wright studies, and its chapters are fascinating in their accounts of the difficulties and successes surrounding the staging of these...