A good read in the WSJ the other day, a very sobering interview with Frank Gehry about, largely, his own death. It’s grim, but typical of the famous architect, casual and confident:

Another aspect of Mr. Gehry’s old-fashioned virtue is his concern for what will happen to his employees once he dies. When I ask him if his age adds greater urgency to picking projects and finishing projects, Mr. Gehry says, “No. I am not that megalomaniac. No, I think the day will come and . . .”

Then apropos of very little in particular, he says, “What I am interested in is, since it’s 150 people here and a lot of people’s lives and futures depend on it, how do you create a succession?” Again Mr. Gehry sounds passionate. “There’s a way to leave it and pull the plug and I am fine and they”–referring to his employees–”lose.” As part of managing for his own death, Mr. Gehry has been trying to build the public personae of the people who work for him, trying to direct some of the limelight that seems always oriented towards him in their direction. In the catalogs and exhibits devoted to his work, he makes sure to mention the people who worked with him on his various projects.