On the anniversary of Philip Johnson’s birthday, join Paris-based designer Robert Stadler live from his studio for a conversation with Glass House chief curator Hilary Lewis. Kindly register here.

This September, Stadler was to bring his special brand of elegant form, intellectual wit and artistic direction to The Glass House for an installation, Playdate, to be in dialogue with the Glass House’s landscape, buildings and collections. This was to occur during the fall semester at the Harvard Graduate School of Design where Stadler was scheduled to teach. Due to the restrictions during the time of coronavirus, both of these activities had to be postponed.

For this discussion, Stadler will present a sampling of his diverse oeuvre, from industrial design to installations within traditional architecture and even to curatorial endeavors and performance. The sheer variety of Stadler’s portfolio is wide and impressive, but there is a through-line of clever interpretation married to an innovative approach to materials and an openness to ideas that marks all of his work. His is a practice that questions the obvious and results in new and exciting objects that point to a very modern mode of living, all created with a sense of joy.

This conversation will focus on the wealth of his experience in design but also touch upon how his attitude complements well that of Philip Johnson’s at the Glass House and will give us a sense of how he will approach his upcoming work in New Canaan, Connecticut.

Robert Stadler has run his own design studio in Paris since 2001. He works for clients such as Hermès, Lobmeyr, Thonet and Vitra and also has created a number of limited edition pieces for Carpenters Workshop Gallery. His work is included in many permanent collections amongst which the MAK – Museum for Applied Arts / Contemporary Art in Vienna, Dresden State Art Collections, Les Arts Décoratifs in Paris, Fondation Cartier pour l’Art contemporain, Fonds National d’Art Contemporain and Vitra Design Museum. Stadler has also curated several exhibitions amongst which is QUIZ at Galerie Poirel in Nancy and at MUDAM Luxembourg.

Glass House Presents is an ongoing series of talks, performances, and other live events that extend the site’s historic role as a gathering place for artists, architects, and other creative minds.