Recent News

• Henry Urbach Named New Glass House Director

  The Glass House and The National Trust for Historic Preservation are pleased to announce that Henry Urbach has been named Director of The Glass House. Mr. Urbach will assume this role on April 2, 2012. Rena Zurofsky, museum consultant, will continue as Interim Director through the end of March.

  Go to release

   

• 2012 Press Preview: May 1: 5:00pm to 7:30pm

  The Glass House invites members of the media to attend a press preview on Tuesday, May 1, 2012. The event will be held on the eve of the official 2012 season launch (May 2). Guests will visit the Glass House site and tour its buildings and grounds in the evening providing a rare opportunity to view the campus at sunset.

  R.S.V.P. to Claire Hunter at claire_hunter@nthp.org

   

• 2012 Tour Tickets on Sale: Beginning February 14

  The Glass House will offer 2012 Tour Tickets for sale beginning February 14. The 2012 tour season will launch on Wednesday, May 2, 2012 and will close on Friday, November 30.

  Go to release

  View 2012 season imagery

   

• Sarah Morris and her film, Points On A Line: February 21

  On Tuesday February 21, in association with the presentation of her video “Points on a Line” (2010), commissioned by the Philip Johnson Glass House, and engaging Johnson’s eponymous house and Mies van der Rohe’s the Farnsworth House, Sarah Morris and Nikolaus Hirsch (architect and Rector of the Staedelschule, Frankfurt) discuss the way in which her work documents built structures that might change the way we think about architecture. 

  ENVISIONING BUILDINGS: reflecting architecture in contemporary art photography

  Tuesday, February 21, 19.00

  MAK Center for Art and Architecture, Vienna, Austria

  Click here for more information

   

• Hicks Stone to Host Authors-On-Stage: February 12

  The Glass House and New Canaan Library will co-sponsor an Authors on Stage event featuring Hicks Stone, author of Edward Durell Stone: A Son's Untold Story of a Legendary Architect (Rizzoli, October 2011). Hicks Stone is the youngest son of architect Edward Durell Stone and a practicing architect in New York City. Among the iconic projects for which E. D. Stone is responsible are The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The event will be held from 4:00 to 5:30pm at the New Canaan Library and will feature a presentation by Hicks Stone and book signing followed by a reception.

   

• Conservation of Donald Judd sculpture: Completed December 12

  From July to November, the Glass House conserved Donald Judd’s first site-specific outdoor concrete sculpture, Untitled (1971). The work represents an oeuvre that the artist would continue to explore, culminating in the 15 outdoor works (1980-84) in Marfa, Texas. An early collector of Judd’s work, Philip Johnson donated six sculptures by the artist to The Museum of Modern Art. This sculpture is the single remaining Judd piece in the Glass House collection.

   

• The Glass House at Art Basel Miami Beach: December 1

  The Glass House participated in Art Salon, part of Art Basel Miami Beach 2011. Photographer Todd Eberle and Artist Liam Gillick discussed Inspiration, Cultivation and the Philip Johnson Glass House Collection with Art Critic and Curator Amei Wallach as moderator.

  View event photos

  View event video

   

• Philip Johnson Glass House Online Design Store: Launched November 23

  The Glass House Online Design Store offers a well-edited selection of high-design books and gifts for men, women, children, and the home.  The Design Store highlights the latest in eco-friendly materials and international design, as well as items inspired by the Glass House site.

  Go to the Glass House Online Design Store

   

• Book Launch: October 25

  The Glass House and Birch Books Conservation announced the launch of a ground-breaking publication, The Library of Philip Johnson: Selections from the Glass House, at The Four Seasons Restaurant on Tuesday, October 25. Written by Birch Cooper and Jordan Hruska, this beautifully illustrated book examines 100 titles from the architect’s Library/Study and features an introduction by Architect Robert A. M. Stern, textual analyses and 350 photographs. The volume ($45) is available for purchase online and sales benefit the conservation of the books contained in the Library/Study, as well as the preservation of the structure.

  Go to release

  View event photos courtesy of Patrick McMullan

  Download high resolution cover image

  Download high resolution images of the Library/Study

  Learn more about the Library/Study

   

• Brick House Restoration Project

  The Brick House was designed as both a companion piece and counterpoint in the original Glass House composition completed in 1949. It has been closed to the public since 2008. While the exterior envelope is in good condition, the building has suffered from high levels of moisture due to poor site drainage, inadequate foundation waterproofing, breaches in the main roof and flashing as well as a lack of an interior ventilation system. This has resulted in mold affecting the windows, doors, interior finishes and collections, including the silk wall coverings, textiles, furniture, artwork and books. The Brick House Restoration Project includes exterior and interior restoration of the building, conservation of the interior finishes and collections, and mechanical upgrades and improvements. The scope of work also includes site drainage improvements appropriate to the landscape of the site.

  New York Times 10/12/2011: Saving Philip Johnson's Brick House

  Metropolis Magazine April 2011: Post-Modernism Pomo Returns (or Maybe It Never Left)

  Design Within Reach September 2011: Glass House News: Support the Brick House Restoration Fund

  Lonny Magazine September/October 2011: History of Textiles: Piumette

  View Brick House images

  Donate to the Brick House Restoration Fund here