In 1940, The Museum of Modern Art staged a retrospective of the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, the great American architect, then in his 70s, who had experienced a professional rebirth over the previous decade after many years of relative invisibility. Wright was a full collaborator in the organization of the project, which he intended, he said, to be "the show to end all shows." To accompany the exhibition, the Museum planned a publication in the form of a Festschrift, commissioning essays from many of the best-known architecture figures of the day--Alvar Aalto, Henry-Russell Hitchcock, Richard Neutra, Mies van der Rohe, and others. Wright, however, took issue with certain parts of the book, complimentary though it was, and after an incendiary exchange of correspondence, including the architect's threat to cancel the entire exhibition, the show went forward but the book did not. In the 60-odd years since, the essays that MoMA commissioned have remained in its files, most of them lost to public view. Now, for the first time in one volume, MoMA is publishing the entire surviving group, along with a full selection of the letters and telegrams between Wright, MoMA, and others detailing MoMA's and the architect's collaboration-cum-collision. Accompanying these period documents is an extensive essay by the noted Frank Lloyd Wright scholar Kathryn Smith, who provides a full account of the exhibition, both as it was and as it was intended to be--including, for example, an unrealized plan to erect one of Wright's Usonian Houses in the MoMA garden. Smith also explores Wright's relationship to his critics, the architectural profession, and the Museum in the years leading up to the exhibition.

"The Show To End All Shows" tells the story of a flopped MOMA exhibition about Frank Lloyd Wright. The project suffered from all flaws a project can have: It started with unclear goals. MOMA wanted a retrospective about America's most famous architect. Wright saw it as a marketing device for future clients. As is common in many Festschriften, most texts were rather banal and unilluminating. But placing Wright in historic context and elaborating on foreign influences and even very mildly mentioning some problems was seen as a personal attack by the architect (shying away prospects). He killed the planned Festschrift (included in the text), the exhibition had to proceed without a catalogue.

Wright and the curators planned to actually build a temporary Usonian house in the MOMA sculpture garden. After persuading city officials, this was killed by Rockefeller jr. who, owning part of the land, did not believe Usonian houses were inexpensive enough. So, no special exhibit.

The content of the exhibit was prepared by Wright and his apprentices in their secluded retreat. This inside-out development resulted in widespread incomprehensibility among the public which would have needed much more guidance and illustration (outside-in approach). Furthermore, MOMA had only limited time to install the exhibition. The MOMA curator had numerous other projects to supervise, was often not present and lacked the spine necessary to deal with Wright's difficult and vain personality.

The exhibition was planned during the early months of World War II through the campaign of France and the attack on Britain to the terrible winter of 1940. MOMA wanted to raise US awareness to Europe's plight with a special exhibition that due to lack of interest and funding was not realized. Wright, being an isolationist (even xenophobic) American himself, showed his ugliest side by remarking that the London Blitz had positive elements in creating new space for architects and removing Wren's influence. Instead of becoming the show to end all shows, the MOMA exhibit drew terrible reviews, scanty attendance and was quietly buried.

Wright went on designing many buildings, MOMA became much more prominent after WWII. Fortunately, they kept the files in their archives which were unearthed for this nice study. ( )