The Wry Home
  • Home
  • About
  • Newsletter
  • Categories
    • Home
    • Design
    • In and Around Town
    • Beach
    • Travel
    • Furniture
    • Holiday
    • Entertaining
    • Artwork
    • Gifts
  • Contact

The Wry Home

REASONABLE REDESIGN

  • Home
  • About
  • Newsletter
  • Categories
    • Home
    • Design
    • In and Around Town
    • Beach
    • Travel
    • Furniture
    • Holiday
    • Entertaining
    • Artwork
    • Gifts
  • Contact

Focus On: Artist Irving Harper

January 30, 2015

I admit, I had never heard of Irving Harper.  I didn’t know about the Marshmallow Sofa (one of the earliest examples of Pop Art furniture Harper invented in 1956).  Or the 1949 Ball Clock he designed.

P1060207
I was introduced to Harper’s incredible paper sculptures at a solo retrospective at The Rye Arts Center on January 10th.  The show featured 80 of his sculptures, with a special one being auctioned off that evening.  The snake.

The Snake

The Snake

Irving Harper was the chief designer for George Nelson (Nelson was Director of Design for the Herman Miller furniture company) for 17 years.  George Nelson Associates designed much of the 20th century’s most iconic modernist furniture.

P1060164

P1060165

P1060220
In 1964, Harper was asked to design the Chrysler Pavilion for the New York World’s Fair.  It was a huge undertaking.  To relieve the stress from this project, he started creating his own art in the evening.  Years of making 3D paper models of projects as an architect and industrial designer prepared him well for his new hobby.

P1060187  P1060210

P1060236

Harper, now 98, created 300+ paper sculptures over a 36 year period that fill his 19th century farmhouse in Rye.  He made his last sculpture in 2000, the owl.  To quote him, “You take a flat piece of paper and cut it into a shape.  Then you score it and you bend it and it becomes three-dimensional.  That’s the secret of the whole thing.”  He never intended to sell or exhibit them.  They were for his own personal pleasure.

Irving Harper Photo Credit:

Irving Harper
Photo Credit:  Leslie Williamson

Wolf

Wolf

P1060211  P1060217  P1060200
Irving liked to use doll eyes in his sculptures.

P1060163
Katharine Dufault and Jeff Taylor, co-curators for the exhibit: Irving Harper: A Mid-Century Mind At Play, discovered his creations on a visit to his home.  The gallery committee went to see if they could use Harper’s Marshmallow Sofa in an exhibition about chairs and were stunned to see intricate paper sculptures covering every surface.  Getting Irving to part with any of them for an exhibition was the hard part!

Katharine Dufault

Katharine Dufault

Harper's last sculpture - The Owl

Harper’s last sculpture – The Owl

P1060202 The influence of Picasso, Matisse, Mondrian and Jasper Johns are visible in his sculptures.  He covers art movements that include Cubism, Surrealism, Op Art and Abstract Expressionism ~ all in three dimension.

Similar to Mondrian "City Grid"

Similar to Mondrian’s “City Grid”

Matisse-esque

Matisse-esque

Picasso "Guernica"

Picasso “Guernica”

P1060201
When Harper agreed to show his work at The Rye Arts Center, he generously donated one of his pieces to be auctioned off with all proceeds going to support the Rye Arts Center.  This is the one and only paper sculpture Irving Harper has ever parted with.

Kate and Paul

Kate and Paul

My husband and I were chatting with our friends Kate and Paul Conn during the January auction, when the dark horse (Paul) innocently raised his paddle at the very last minute to claim the Irving Harper snake.

IMG_3166

P1060190
Kate was stunned when the entire room turned to look at her.  I am quite certain my husband hid our auction paddle!

P1060222

 P1060183  P1060215
This was a one-of-a-kind exhibition.  I am so happy I saw it and that my friends have this piece of history.  Now I can run over to their house to get my Irving Harper fix anytime I want!

Taking their snake home

Taking their snake home

His name is "Harper"

His name is “Harper”

For more information on Irving Harper:

The Rye Arts Center

Herman Miller

Irving Harper: Works in Paper

P1060205
the wry home

Focus On: Artist Irving Harper was last modified: April 25th, 2017 by Elizabeth Dowling
George NelsonHerman MillerIrving HarperMarshmallow SofaRye Arts Center
2 comments
0
Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
previous post
My Dated Master Bath
next post
NYC Gift Show

You may also like

Halloween

October 30, 2014

Townhouse Update

May 17, 2018

Summer, Summer Don’t Leave Us!

September 8, 2016

Posters as Artwork

September 24, 2019

L’orange

October 11, 2018

Spring?

April 10, 2015

2 comments

Missie January 30, 2015 at 11:53 pm

Super great post Liz! Your photos really capture the dimension and vividness of Harper’s work. We are lucky that the Rye arts center was able to forge this relationship. We are even luckier to know the Conns and visit “Harper” whenever we can!
Missiw

Reply
Paul Conn February 7, 2015 at 10:24 pm

Thanks for being with us during the auction Liz and for penning this lovely blog. You’re welcome to visit Harper anytime! xo

Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Liz Dowling
I have loved design ever since I painted my bedroom walls high-gloss lime green in the fourth grade. A lifelong hobby, mixing low cost items with a few pricier pieces thrown in, has become The Wry Home. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t!

Subscribe to the Blog

Be Social With Us

Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest

The Wry Home on Instagram

  • Happy Holidays from @solvangbakery and my brother and his wife. Love this! #merrychristmas #happyholidays #solvangbakery
  • Our birthday girl still has spring in her step! Happy 14th Birthday Rhino #birthday #girl #dachshundsofinstagram #dachshundlove #dachshund #Rhino
  • Up on the blog, an escape from all of the “uplifting” news right now. An exhibit of Basquiat and his
  • Rainy day fun! #basquiat #basquiatart
  • I ❤️ NYC
  • HAPPY HALLOWEEN from Rhino (and Emily) #halloween #dachshund #dachshundsofinstagram
  • Sneak peek of our new views! Moving in 19 days... #boston #ma #moving #higherfloor #cityview
  • 49 degrees, but who can resist sitting here! @petitrobertbistro #boston #southendboston

Recent Posts

  • Rhino Has
    An Adventure
    January 12, 2021
  • Delicious Christmas Cocktails
    Even I Can Make!
    December 23, 2020
  • A Few Target
    Stocking Stuffers
    December 3, 2020
  • Basquiat
    November 19, 2020
  • Oh Happy Day!
    November 9, 2020
  • Knock, Knock!
    October 22, 2020

Best of Houzz Service 2017 Best of Houzz Service 2016 Recommended on Houzz

 

Amara Interior Blog Awards Nominated Blog 2019     nominated

nominated     Amara Interior Blog Awards Nominated Blog 2016

Smarty Style Bathrooms badge

Read The Wry Home Newsletter

Popular Posts

  • Rhino Has
    An Adventure
  • My Homemade
    Marble Tables
  • A Few Target
    Stocking Stuffers
  • Delicious Christmas Cocktails
    Even I Can Make!

Archives

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

© 2017 The Wry Home


Back To Top