I visited one of the holy sites of American modernism on Wednesday, Philip Johnson’s Glass House in New Canaan, CT, and I brought along my spiffy new camera to document what I saw.
For those interested in venturing to New Canaan themselves, I should mention there are different types of tours open to the public and be careful which you chose, as one bans photography, while another welcomes it.
The tour in general was well worthwhile, but I admit that I was somewhat underwhelmed by the experience. I’m working on an essay about my thoughts on the significance of this modernist acropolis and it will appear on my new art blogazine, HYPERALLERGIC, that launches next month.
Until then, I wanted to share my whole set of photographs (53 images) and point out some curious details that piqued my attention during the tour, including:
- an electric plug on the floor of the Glass House,
- a questionable Poussin that dominates the living area,
- the bathroom’s leather ceilings (the guide informed us that the walls were also once leather),
- the Johnson-designed dog house,
- and the view Philip Johnson awoke to each morning.
It’s also noteworthy that Johnson designed another “Glass House” across the street from his more famouse house, which the New York Times featured in their Style section earlier this year (Article + Slideshow).
You may also be interested to know that Johnson’s New York City apartment was sold in 2007 to a buyer who will–thankfully–work to preserve it (Article + Blog post).
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