Peter Halley ‘New York, New York’
The Lever House Art Collection’s latest show is a two floor immersive experience by Peter Halley called ‘New York, New York’ – an apt title considering the artist is a Manhattan native and has been working in his hometown since the 1980s. A central figure of Neo-Conceptual, abstract painting and printmaking, Halley is known for his colorful, Day-Glo canvases that employ the geometry of architecture as a primary source of reference.
Lever House, one of midtown’s most iconic midcentury buildings, has been a source of inspiration for the artist for decades and serves as a foremost structural embodiment of his work. Halley’s installation encompasses Lever House’s ground floor lobby as well as a band of electric yellow-tinted windows ringing the building’s second floor. The show’s six large-shaped canvas paintings are displayed on the façade of a seemingly impenetrable central structure constructed in the lobby, while hidden inside the block-like cave are secret rooms displaying floor to ceiling, digitally-generated mural works, lit in Halley’s trademark fluorescent hues. While Manhattanites may drive by Lever House regularly on their daily commute, a trip inside to see and experience Peter Halley’s playful universe is definitely worth the stop!
