Real estate turned art

Real Estate Weekly, June 19, 1991

Real estate turned art

While residential real estate may somewhat in the doldrums, as a form of art it can be both optimistic and uplifting.

An unusual exhibition presents wall sculptures and paintings of houses by California artist Gifford Myers. These miniature dwellings are the subject of Myers' first one-man New York show at the Ruth Siegel Gallery on 57th Street from July 3-26.

Myers' work, averaging a mere six inches in size, reflects the artist's humor as well as the technical mastery of his materials. The paintings are acrylic on surfaces that range from pebbly roofing composition to velvet, while the ceramic or bronze sculptures are painted with jewel-like colors. Upon close examination, one is startled by the detail of cement doors, patios, backyard pools, sliding glass and window reflexions.

Myers' images derive directly from the vernacular of real estate agents, with such titles as "Reduced to Sell", Whirlwind Escrow", "Hold Out" and "Owner May Carry". Many works address the escalation of the real estate market, the phenomenon of art speculation, and other social issues. "What used to be a home is now just a house -- a commodity to be bought and sold", says Myers. In "Worth the Weight", for example, the left side of a quiet house with deck and swimming pool is replicated on the right in 14 karat gold, conveying its investment and status value.

Gifford Myers' ceramics and painting have been purchased by principals in the real estate or architecture firms of Kauffman & Broad (Los Angeles), The Shorenstein Company (San Francisco), The Berkus Group (Los Angeles) and Koeppel & Koeppel (New York), as well as by such notables as Norman Lear, Henry Winkler and David Hockney.

PHOTO : "She Took the House/He Got the Business" at the Ruth Siegel Gallery Ltd.