Philip Johnson: The Glass House.
I got the most perfect surprise birthday present from my girlfriends. They took me to the Philip Johnson glass house, with the current fog installation by Fujiko Nakaya.
The property had several structures on it that Philip Johnson designed and used.
A little library:
Painting gallery, with several revolving walls of notable contemporary art, including Frank Stella:
Sculpture gallery:
Pavilion, and stair sculpture:
I always thought Philip Johnson was a very serious man, with his black glasses and stern face. But it’s clear, he was not afraid to experiment. Adjacent to the glass house is a brick house. And the pavilion shown above is a bit of an optical illusion as the ceiling is only 5’3″ in height, meant to appear further away than it really is.
Philip Johnson died in the glass house in 2005, at the age of 98. If you are in the NYC area, it is the perfect day trip by car or train. The fog installation is on until November.
