Exhibitions at the Speyer Gallery
Available through December 31, 2025
Drawing from the Fallingwater Archive as well the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archive, five short films will be shown on large-screen video monitors in the gallery accompanied by historic images to provide context. Guest curator Michael Savisky, a multidisciplinary storyteller whose work bridges film, literature, and music to explore the human experience, has brought the Kaufmann family, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Fallingwater to life.
The exhibition is organized around five themes, each delving into a particular aspect of the Kaufmanns’ or Fallingwater’s history.
The Kaufmann family purchased a prefabricated cabin from the Aladdin Company of Bay City, Michigan, and assembled it within the former Masonic camp for their own use. The house became known as “The Hangover”—a double entendre reflective of its location perched atop a stone ridge, as well as its site for lively entertainment. Though it had no electricity or plumbing, the cabin was as ample enough for a large family gathering as it was for a peaceful refuge from work and city life.
Bear Run and its environs are shown in “Kaufmann’s Summer Camp” through the home movies of the Kaufmanns with their employees and friends in the late 1920s. Supported with photographs of the property purchased for the use of the Kaufmann’s Department Store, the summer camp became an escape from the polluted Pittsburgh smog and an idyll for swimming, horse riding, fishing, hiking, and relaxation in the fresh air and sunshine.
“Onward and Upward” features 1933 footage of the demolition of the annex to Kaufmann’s Department Store, founded by Edgar Kaufmann’s and Lilian Kaufmann’s fathers and uncles in 1871. The planned expansion, occurring only a few years after the 1929 remodel of the store’s interiors by Pittsburgh architect Benno Janssen, was a daring one, especially during the throes of the Great Depression. Moreover, the ambitious project signaled the Kaufmann family’s involvement in relief efforts aimed at putting individuals back to work as well as their commitment to the City’s future.
“Realizing a Vision” introduces viewers to the construction process of Fallingwater. Beginning with a visit to meet Frank Lloyd Wright at La Hacienda, his early studio and camp in Chandler, Arizona. Edgar and Liliane Kaufmann check in on Edgar jr.’s apprenticeship with the architect, and establish the beginning of a decades-long patronage by the Kaufmanns. Early construction footage includes the selection of Pottsville sandstone from the on-site quarry, building the masonry walls, and Edgar Kaufmann meeting with Wright, Edgar jr., and supervising apprentice Bob Mosher on the house’s west terrace.
Finally, the exhibition includes images and words from Edgar Kaufmann jr. himself. His gift of Fallingwater to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in 1963 set the standard for the sharing of a modern historic house with the public. “Sanctuary for All” includes excerpts of Kaufmann’s 1985 tour of the site, recorded a few years before his death, and is interspersed with images and video of the recent past that showcase the importance of Fallingwater to those who have made a pilgrimage to experience the beauty of Fallingwater.
Leading into the present day, visitors will be asked to leave behind memories of their own lives and homes on prompted post-it notes within the gallery. These will be collected during the run of the exhibition and compiled for us all to enjoy.
The Kaufmann Films: A Legacy in Motion will be on view through December 31, 2025.