Shirley Geller & The Rockstar Framer

Last month we hung most of the art that had been casually leaning on various credenzas and consoles throughout The Cool House. One piece, however, was deemed by Rockstar Framer, Cherie Via, to have a frame unworthy of its composition, line and color.


This was the Shirley Geller '92 painting I successfully bid on at the Andrew Geller Archive Preservation Fundraiser at DWR last year. I was drawn to it because the bold orange and blue colors and the composition echoed the black beams and new color scheme of the great room. Cherie took it back to Ripe Art Gallery and picked out this fabulously simple mid-brown wood and metal frame for it. We agreed the painting needed to sit in a heavy linear mat to emphasis the dark vertical lines, especially as I envisaged it hanging on this previously blank strip of wall in the kitchen. Three weeks later the piece was ready for collection and yesterday we hung it in place. It is absolutely the finishing touch to the kitchen.


Sadly Shirley Geller passed away last year but memories of her are strong in this house. Here she is, photographed by her grandson Jake with her husband, architect Andrew Geller centre, and The Guy in the yard September 2007. Now we have a great piece of art to look at every day and remember her by. Shirley Geller painted different styles throughout her lifetime and her Whimseys, reproductions of her pen and ink designs, are available here. You can see by her decorated cane what a unique and artistic individual she was and I'm sure she the one and only Rockstar Framer would have got along famously. Thanks to both for making great art fit in our house from The Guy and modernemama.

Preserving the Uniquely Modern

A few years ago The Guy and I headed out to DWR in East Hampton for a fundraiser to save The Pearlroth House. After a lot of hard work by the Geller family, especially Jake Gorst the architect's grandson, and many others that iconic house has been preserved and will be fully restored by next summer.


One successful preservation has led to a much bigger endeavour: cataloging all of Andrew Geller's portfolio - his sketches, blueprints, designs and art - in an archive that will become a resource for students and fans of mid-century architecture and design. Last night dwr East Hampton hosted the Andrew Geller Archive Preservation Fundraiser to raise money for this project.


Friends, family and followers of mid-century modern architecture turned out to enjoy a slideshow on Geller's life and work and bid in a Silent Auction for works including paintings by Andrew Geller and his wife Shirley (who sadly passed away last month), silks by Jamie Geller Dutra and jewelry by Nancy Schindler. More on that auction in a future post... All proceeds from the evening will go to support the Archive. You can support the fund by becoming a sponsor or making a tax-deductible donation and look out for a future fundraiser to be held in New York City - they're lots of fun.