As a recent graduate of University of Southern California (USC), Frank Gehry gained widespread attention for his "Easy Edges" line of laminated cardboard furniture, a precursor to his 1976 series of designs for "cheapskate architecture" (which many of his peers promptly dubbed "junkitecture.")

In 1979, Gehry famously renovated a Santa Monica pink-shingled bungalow -- by surrounding it with another house made from raw materials like chain-link fencing. (The house won Gehry an American Institute of Architects award -- and the threat of lawsuits from several irate neighbors.)

After being named Architect of the Year in 1981, Gehry delivered an unusual lecture in a bid to address some of his critics. It's title? "I'm Not Weird."