The Greenberg Residence
The painting by Maciej Przybylski, a large-format abstraction referring to the tradition of tachisme, fit in perfectly and, to be honest, looks as if it had been here since the very beginning, from the construction of the house in 1960.
The house is called The Greenberg Residence and is located in Westchester County, north of New York City. An ideal location, in an enclave of peace and greenery. The building from 1960, designed by architect Leon Greenberg, is a successful example of modernism inspired by the achievements of leading European architects, above all Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and his famous Lemke Haus, a villa in Berlin from the early 1930s. The house, commissioned by the industrialist couple Martha and Karl Lemke, was Mies van der Rohe’s last project before his emigration to the United States. A pioneer of modern architecture, master of minimalism and elegant functionalism, of light structures, flat roofs, and open interior spaces, he had a profound influence on villa construction in America. One only needs to mention Farnsworth House, the weekend suburban home for Mrs. Farnsworth, a glazed minimalist structure.
The Greenberg Residence is not as radical as Farnsworth House, but it is very close in spirit to the Lemke residence. It is single-story, has an L-shaped plan, and its interior merges seamlessly with the garden space. It is exactly as Alvar Aalto, another master of modernism, postulated: “There must be unity between the interior and exterior parts of our houses, just like an elegant ceremonial form.” He claimed that residential architecture offers the chance to create an earthly paradise for man.
The Greenberg Residence is precisely such an earthly paradise, where interior and exterior harmoniously interact and permeate each other. The use of natural materials such as wood and brick lends the house nobility and warmth. Modernist architects cared about every detail, from the structure to wall cladding, joinery, and door handles. In The Greenberg Residence everything is intentional, nothing is superfluous. Leon Greenberg, as a true continuator of the International Style, took a lesson from Mies van der Rohe, who said that “the devil is in the details” and that “less is more.”
The current owners of The Greenberg Residence appreciate the beauty and comfort of the house, and with respect for its architectural idea, they carefully select every detail of the interior design. They enjoy good art, but they know that not every painting will work here. They discovered Maciej Przybylski’s painting in our gallery in autumn 2024. The large-format abstraction, referring to the tradition of tachisme, fit in perfectly and, frankly, looks as if it had been here since the construction of the house. In The Greenberg Residence, architecture and painting exemplify the dialogue between European and American cultures.
