Blum & Poe, Mendes Wood DM, and Object & Thing are pleased to present At The Luss House, an exhibition of newly created contemporary art and design, including site-specific works, at the former home of architect and designer Gerald Luss (b. 1926, Gloversville, NY) that he designed and completed for his family in 1955 in Ossining, New York. At The Luss House continues to explore the possibilities of connecting today’s artistic ideas with those of past eras through the presentation of contemporary art and design within an architect’s own domestic environment as the organizers also did last fall at the home of industrial designer and Harvard Five architect, Eliot Noyes.

An influential designer and architect, Luss is best known for his influence on large-scale corporate projects during the post-World War II building boom in Manhattan, although his work can be found around the world. He is particularly noted for the innovations he developed for the 350,000 square feet of interiors for the famed Time-Life office building (1959) on Avenue of the Americas in midtown Manhattan—the epitome of midcentury modern skyscraper design, commonly recognized today as the backdrop to AMC’s Mad Men series. His home in Ossining, commuting distance from New York City, was Luss’s first freestanding architectural project and where he lived during the three years he spent working on the Time-Life project. The home was used for many planning meetings between Luss and Time-Life staff and employs a similar connection between interior and exterior environments as well as shared materials and color schemes. At 94 years old, Luss is a collaborative partner in the exhibition, lending examples of his furniture and designs.

Abby Bangser, Founder and Creative Director of Object & Thing commented, "after having worked with Blum & Poe and Mendes Wood DM on last fall's exhibition at the Eliot Noyes House in New Canaan, Connecticut we wanted to find another opportunity to bring together contemporary art and design in an architecturally significant setting with a story that we could share." Matt Bangser, a partner at Blum & Poe, added "the warmth of materials and connection with nature at the Luss House resonates with much of the work we are all featuring," and Pedro Mendes, co-founder of Mendes Wood DM, commented that "the collaboration continues our gallery's interest in creating meaningful artistic conversations between the past and present."

Gerald Luss commented, “It is satisfying to have this exhibition infuse new life in the home I designed and built for my family at the onset of my career and to see new generations of artists and designers bring their contemporary perspective into the space. In my own life, I find it is essential not only to create new work, but to also live among the objects and work of other artists, expanding my vision of the world. I look forward to experiencing how this exhibition casts new light on my former home and sharing in the inspirations for us all.”

Public visits will be available through carefully-coordinated, limited reservations on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the run of the exhibition. Appointments are free, open to the public and conducted in accordance with public safety guidelines and restrictions on capacity.

In addition to the organizing galleries, Object & Thing will present works contributed by Alison Bradley Projects (New York City) and GALLERY crossing (Minokamo, Japan). 

Featuring work by

Alma Allen
Lucas Arruda
Cecily Brown
Matt Connors
Green River Project LLC
Mimi Lauter
Tony Lewis
Eddie Martinez
Ritsue Mishima
Paulo Monteiro 
Kiva Motnyk
Paulo Nazareth
Johnny Ortiz
Frances Palmer
Marina Perez Simão
Yoichi Shiraishi
Daniel Steegmann Mangrané
Kishio Suga

For more information on the artists, please click here.

Read a text by Glenn Adamson here.

Visit the exhibition virtually here. 

Visit Object & Thing's website here.
Visit Mendes Wood DM's website here.

With special thanks to Glenn Adamson, Emily Bode, Rafael de Cárdenas, Maureen Flaherty, Susan and Gerald Luss and Rick Rodgers.

All images courtesy of the artists and:
Blum & Poe, Los Angeles/New York/Tokyo
Mendes Wood DM, São Paulo/Brussels/New York
Object & Thing, New York

Selected Works

News

Related Exhibitions

At The Noyes House: Blum & Poe, Mendes Wood DM and Object & Thing

September 14 – November 28, 2020

The Eliot Noyes House, New Canaan