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05/22/2002 Fax 212 979 2818    EXHIBITIONS INTL. 002
HHPA

May 22, 2002
JACK LENOR LARSEN

Jack Larsen is a man whose multiple careers represent several lifetimes' worth of accomplishments. A respected leader in numerous branches of the design world, he brings to them the perception, sophistication, and curiosity that inform all he undertakes.

Jack has distinguished himself as a textile designer with the architects Frank Lloyd Wright, Edward Larrabee Barnes, I. M. Pei, Minoru Yamasaki, and with the firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. He has designed fabrics for Air Force One, Pan American Airways, and Braniff Airlines. He has worked in sixty countries, many of them in the Third World, adapting their traditions and handicraft skills. Throughout, he has sought innovative uses for materials and manufacturing techniques.

Jack has assembled an unequalled collection of hand-crafted objects at Long House, in East Hampton, Long Island. He is a patron of young artists, an author (most recently his autobiography, A Weaver's Memoir, was published by Abrams), and most splendidly, a garden designer. The Long House Reserve sculpture gardens reveal a compelling range of design skills. Here, Jack has shaped the outdoors into many rooms and created many experiences, each knowingly linked to the other. Using a variety of plant species to investigate the subtleties of color, texture, pattern, and transparency, he has created a sequence of magical places.

At first it might appear that all this effort has been a waste, because none of Jack's work can be permanent. Textiles wear out, gardens decay, and the social events for which Jack is famous last only a short time. All are ephemera. But, like the work itself, Jack is concerned with the structure beneath objects, places, and occurrences. His is an exploration of basic generative forms. It is ideas that permeate his efforts, and these will survive, bringing freshness to his designs, prompting us all to see, to discern, and to demand more of our surroundings. He celebrates the sensual world.

Or, to quote him directly, "I hate repeating myself." "I keep doing something that I don't know how to do yet."

Jack Lenor Larsen's work will continue to challenge and inspire future generations wherever it is discovered.

Hugh Hardy, FAIA


 HARDY HOLZMAN PFEIFFER ASSOCIATES LLP
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