Liz Glynn Open House

Doris C. Freedman Plaza

March 1 - September 10, 2017

About the Exhibition

At the turn of the 20th century, New York City’s wealthy elite gathered in opulent private ballrooms to define their social status. In contrast, Central Park granted democratic access to public space when it was established in the 1850s as one of the nation’s first urban parks. Open House is a new commission by Los Angeles–based artist Liz Glynn (b. 1981, Boston, MA) that highlights these historic class distinctions. It references one of the grandest Fifth Avenue interiors designed by Gilded Age architect Stanford White: the now-demolished William C. Whitney Ballroom.

Open House transforms Doris C. Freedman Plaza into an open-air ballroom where only scattered furniture and arches remain eight blocks south from the original mansion. Glynn’s lavish Louis XIV sofas, chairs, and footstools evoke the historic home, but with a twist—these objects feature sculpted additions and are cast in concrete, a populist material more commonly seen in modern architecture. With this revision, the artist invites the public to enjoy a previously exclusive interior space that is now open and accessible to all. In this strange facsimile, Glynn addresses the evolving face of a city: who has access to space in a society that is increasingly divided along socioeconomic lines?

Liz Glynn: Open House is curated by Associate Curator Daniel S. Palmer.

Photo Gallery

About the Artist

Liz Glynn View Profile

Liz Glynn (b. 1981, Boston, MA) lives and works in Los Angeles. Her solo shows and performances include The Myth of Singularity, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2015); PATHOS (The Blind Exercises), Paula Cooper Gallery, New York (2015); Liz Glynn: Ransom Room, SculptureCenter, New York (2014); Black Box, as part of the J. Paul Getty Museum’s Pacific Standard Time Performance Art and Public Art Festival, Los Angeles (2012); Loving You is Like _ _ _ _ _ the Dead, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2011); and The 24 Hour Roman Reconstruction Project, Arthouse at the Jones Center, Austin, TX (2009). Her work has also been featured in group shows at the Barbican Art Gallery, London (2015); the Hammer Museum at UCLA, Los Angeles (2012); and the New Museum, New York (2009). Glynn is the recipient of several awards, including a Creative Capital Foundation fellowship (2016) and the Center for Cultural Innovation’s Investing in Artists Grant (2012). Glynn received a BA in Visual and Environmental Studies from Harvard University and a MFA from the California Institute of the Arts.

Location

Doris C. Freedman Plaza

Directions

Doris C. Freedman Plaza

Directions

Public Art Fund gratefully acknowledges the generosity of its 40th Anniversary supporters:

Presenting Sponsor
Bloomberg Philanthropies

40th Anniversary Leadership Circle
Jill & Peter Kraus, Jennifer & Matthew Harris, the Charina Endowment Fund, Elizabeth Fearon Pepperman & Richard C. Pepperman II, Jennifer & Jason New, Oliver’s Realty Group/RAL Development Services, Elise & Andrew Brownstein, Holly & Jonathan Lipton, Marcia Dunn & Jonathan Sobel, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Patricia & Howard Silverstein, The Silverweed Foundation, Katherine Farley & Jerry Speyer, AllianceBernstein L.P., Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, The Marc Haas Foundation, and Sydney & Stanley S. Shuman

Lead support for Open House is provided by the Henry Luce Foundation, Elizabeth Fearon Pepperman & Richard C. Pepperman II, Jill & Peter Kraus, Linda R. & Andrew Safran, and Patricia & Howard Silverstein.

Additional support is provided by AllianceBernstein L.P., Erin & Matthew D. Bass, Michael Price, Paula Cooper Gallery, and the Robert Lehman Foundation.

This exhibition is also supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Special assistance has been provided by Craft Engineering Studio.

Special thanks to the Office of the Mayor, Manhattan Borough President, Department of Cultural Affairs, NYC Parks, and Central Park Conservancy.