Monday, June 29, 2015

Highlights from the Sculpture Gallery at the Glass House

The Glass House, once the home of  architect Philip Johnson was built between 1949 and 1955 and is a National Trust Historic Site located in New Canaan, Connecticut. The pastoral 49-acre landscape comprises fourteen structures, including the Glass House (1949), and features a permanent collection of 20th-century painting and sculpture, along with temporary exhibitions. Tours of the site are available in May through November and advance reservations are recommended.
This season a special exhibition organized by Irene Shum will be on display in a building known as Da Monsta - designed by Philip Johnson in 1995 as a visitor center and now a contemporary art gallery.  This seasons show, Highlights from the Sculpture Gallery that will be on display through November 30, 2015 includes sculptures by John Chamberlain and Robert Rauschenberg, as well as the debut of a sculpture by Robert Morris never before publicly displayed at the site. This exhibition supports the Sculpture Gallery Restoration Project, also taking place in 2015.
A jagged pavilion of curves and contours, Da Monsta reflects Johnson's interest in then-current Deconstructivist architecture as well as pre-Modernist sources such as German Expressionism. The dynamic interplay between art and Da Monsta continues inside. Two sculptures — John Chamberlain's The Archbishop, The Golfer, and Ralph (1982-83) and Robert Rauschenberg's Empire II, (1961)— occupy the first gallery.
The second gallery will display Robert Morris' Untitled (Nine Fiberglass Sleeves) (1967), consisting of translucent fiberglass in nine parts, installed in a grid, twelve inches apart that sits within the unique contours of the room. Highlights from the Sculpture Gallery is part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's commitment to reinvigorate its historic sites with innovative arts and public programming.
For tour information visit http://theglasshouse.org

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