Not A Place For Throwing Stones

Guest blog by Kevin

We visited architect Philip Johnson's iconic Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut for a guided tour on day one of the East Coast swing.  Johnson was a famous architect and exhibitionist who didn't mind having his neighbors see right into (and through) his house.  This masterpiece of see-through-ness was completed in 1949, about two years prior to the house of the guy from whom Johnson stole the idea.  The lesser known Farnsworth House outside Chicago had been designed by Mies van der Rohe prior to construction of the Glass House, but apparently Johnson had better contractors who finished the job first, cementing his place in history.

The House is fifty four feet long and thirty four feet wide, and, as its name implies, made of glass.  Thankfully, the loo is made of brick for some privacy.  Johnson lived here for 50 years, until his untimely death at age 99 in 2005.  Clearly, living encased in glass is good for longevity.

Living room with fireplace/bathroom

Bedroom

David Whitney, Johnson's partner of 45 years, was a curator and collector of modern art.  The galleries on the grounds were build by Johnson specifically to hold the vast amount of art that he and Whitney had acquired from artists and friends like Frank Stella, Andy Warhol, John Chamberlain, Robert Rauschenberg and our old friend Donald Judd.  

Fallen tree sculpture by Julian Schnabel

Sculptures in the Sculpture Gallery by Chamberlain and Segal

There are several other buildings on the property, including Johnson's library, a relaxing lake pavilion, a greenhouse, and a contemporary exhibition space known as "Da Monsta."

The Ghost House, which is made of chain link fence. 

The Lake Pavilion, which is actually only 5'8" tall.  Sneaky Johnson!

Exhibition space "Da Monsta" built during Johnson's gangsta rap phase

Guest blogger who knows how to enjoy art

The experience of the Glass House made clear that Philip Johnson was a man of vision.  He took a bunch of farmland in the middle of nowhere, Connecticut, and turned it into an Art Destination.  The house and grounds have been a Natural Trust Historic Site since 2007.  The makers of Windex have never been happier.   

Kevin and Muchane check in on our buddy Judd

Art Girls looking great as always!

Art and Autumn in The Hudson Valley

The Art Girls and friends are off to the Hudson Valley to enjoy the fall foliage and look at art, of course. First stop, New Canaan, Connecticut for the best Bloody Mary in all of New England brought to you by elm where their motto is "rooted in tradition, inspired by the seasons."  If you ever find yourself in this neck of the woods, do yourself a favor and stop in.  The staff, food, drink and ambiance started our weekend off right!

http://www.elmrestaurant.com/

Frank Lloyd Wright and the Prairie Style.

During our time in Chicago we toured several important Frank Lloyd Wright buildings.  The Robie House (1908-1910) which is now located on the campus of the University of Chicago is considered to be one of the ten most important homes in America.  The long horizontal lines are a key characteristic of Wright's revolutionary "prairie style," the first architectural style considered to be uniquely American.

The Robie House as seen in 1963.

Having a 3 car garage (now the gift shop) in 1910 was considered extremely modern.

The renovation of the living room is still a work in progress but you can see in this photo how the multiple windows on every wall bring the light and outside landscape inside the structure.

The stained glass windows, light fixtures and the furniture are all FLW  design elements.


Being Lloyd Wright inspired, we also ventured on to his home and studio in Oak Park, a beautiful, leafy suburb of Chicago.  Wright's home was built prior to the Robie house (1889-1898) and he used it as a laboratory to experiment with new architectural ideas. A visitor can see the progression of Wright's work from the Sullivan-esque style (Wright worked in Louis Sullivan's architectural firm at the time) to his signature Prairie style.  This progression is particularly noticeable when visiting the studio, which was added on to the the house in 1898.

 Certain elements of Wright's mature style are already in evidence in his home, such as the Inglenook (above) and the self-designed dining chairs and art glass (below)

        

The entrance to Wright's studio features his name and various allegorical symbols. 

The studio used many architectural innovations to create a light-filled and inspirational environment for focused, collaborative work.

Chicago, our kind of town.

ExpoChicago is turning out to be a terrific fair and a great way to start the season.  With great architecture, good food and a world class art fair, Chicago is our kind of town.  Here are a few highlight pix:

 

Artist Vaughn Bell created this biosphere for the NRDC, a non profit environmental organization.  Alisun Woolery of Marc Selwyn Gallery and I became one with this temporary ecosystem.

   

William Edmondson sculptures and Bill Traylor drawings at Fleisher Ollman

Alfred Leslie & Mark diSuvero at Hill Gallery

Wall of Abstract Expressionist drawings at Manny Silverman Gallery