Philip Johnson Sculpture
Philip Johnson (1906–2005)
Habitable Sculpture, 2001
Wood
Philip Johnson (1906–2005), one of the great architects of the 20th century, is known for designs that include the Seagram Building (1956, working with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe), the AT&T Building (1984, now the Sony Tower), and the Urban Glass House (opened 2005)—all located in New York City.
In 2000, Antonio (Nino) Vendome, a New York City real estate developer and owner of Nino’s Restaurant (which provided thousands of free meals to workers at Ground Zero after 9/11), asked Johnson to submit a proposal for a residential building. Ever innovative, Johnson, who stated, “I create sculpture and art,” came up with the design seen here. The building was first conceived as a sculpture, then divided into habitable units. Although construction was never realized, Johnson said, “It is the best building I ever designed. It is my last opportunity in New York to do something good for the city and something good for art.”
New York State Museum Collections
Guiding Questions:
- Why would an architect build a large model of a building?