Tag Archives: Post Modernism

Inside the Peter Shire Studio

Peter Shire Studio, Echo Park, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Peter Shire Studio, Echo Park, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Peter Shire Studio, Echo Park, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Peter Shire Studio, Echo Park, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Peter Shire Studio, Echo Park, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Peter Shire Studio, Echo Park, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Peter Shire Studio, Echo Park, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Peter Shire Studio, Echo Park, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Peter Shire Studio, Echo Park, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Peter Shire Studio, Echo Park, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier

Stepping inside the Peter Shire Studio in Echo Park, is like walking onto a playground for art geeks. It’s a kaleidoscope of color and texture everywhere you look. Shelves are lined with completed sculptures and pottery waiting for a new home. Other areas are work zones with active projects being completed for upcoming art exhibits in New York and Milan. And the most surprising element in the room…. Peter, actively working on a massive table sculpture, for a show opening in a few weeks.

Peter Shire, Peter Shire Studio, Echo Park, Ca., Photo Melanie Engle
Peter Shire, Peter Shire Studio, Echo Park, Ca., Photo Melanie Engle

Here’s his inspiration, compliments of Shire’s Studio…

Peter Shire Painting, Compliments Peter Shire Studio
Peter Shire Painting, Compliments Peter Shire Studio

This is an actual working studio, which is very different than a gallery setting.  That’s what made this experience so special for me. In a gallery setting,  works are placed on pedestals and are beautifully lit, having been curated with a specific point of view. As you can see by these photos, it’s about creating and storing the works of art, until they’re ready for their next exhibition. That’s why  stepping into Peter’s Studio was so exciting, my eye could do the editing, jumping from piece to piece.  I also felt like  I was on sacred ground,  invited to see the master at work. God knows I could never do a painting with someone standing over me, I need to be in a very comfy and quiet environment.

Peter Shire Studio, Echo Park, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Peter Shire Studio, Echo Park, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier

If Peter’s work looks familiar to you, it’s because he’s been around since the 1980’s. He first burst onto the scene with The Memphis Group, an Italian design and architecture group founded in Milan, in 1982. He was the only American sculptor invited to be a part of this international  group. And several of his pieces were included in the movie Ruthless People starring Bette Midler and Danny Devito. But his work hasn’t stopped there. He’s continued his iconic style,  making chairs and other everyday items, into major works of art. And in case you haven’t been to one of Peter Shires exhibition’s, here’s a glimpse of a his recent show that  closed on Saturday.

Peter Shire Installation, Kayne Griffin Corcoran Gallery, Photo courtesy Peter Shire Studio
Peter Shire Installation, Kayne Griffin Corcoran Gallery, Photo courtesy Kayne Griffin Corcoran Gallery, Photo: Flying Studio, Los Angeles

As for L.A. experiences, this is on par with meeting famed photographer Julius Shulman in 2004.  Artists shape the world in which we live, giving it life and meaning,  and sometimes a whole lot of humor…  which we can certainly use these days.

Thank you Peter for letting us spend a very special day in your studio.

Romi Cortier, Melanie Engle, Coco (aka MalibuPom) and Peter Shire, Photo courtesy Peter Shire Studio
Romi Cortier, Melanie Engle, Coco (aka MalibuPom) and Peter Shire, Photo courtesy Peter Shire Studio

PeterShireStudio.com

Meeting Peter Shire

Belle Air, Chair, Peter Shire, Photo Romi Cortier
Belle Air, Chair, MOCA, West Hollywood,  Peter Shire, Photo Romi Cortier
Chair, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Romi Cortier
Chair, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Romi Cortier
Chair Installation, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Romi Cortier
Chair Installation, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Romi Cortier
Belle Aire, Chair, 2010, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Romi Cortier
Belle Aire, Chair, 2010, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Romi Cortier
Chair, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Romi Cortier
Chair, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Romi Cortier
Bel Air, Memphis, 1981, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Romi Cortier
Bel Air, Memphis, 1981, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Romi Cortier
Olympic Lamp Installation, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Recio Young
Olympic Lamp Installation  &  Romi Cortier,  MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Recio Young

I never imagined that I’d have the distinct pleasure of meeting Peter Shire, the only American artist to serve as part of the Italian based Memphis Group…. but I did!!  It happened on the last day of his recent exhibit at MOCA, West Hollywood, down to about the last hour of his show that closed on July 2, 2017.

I kept nudging my fiance that morning… lets go, it’s closes at 6. Himyou still have a few hours, why rush. Ugh. You know that feeling when you’re so excited like a kid who wants to go to the carnival?  Well that’s me when it came to seeing this exciting show, because it held so much history for me.  I’d been aware of the Memphis Group, since they burst on the scene in the early 1980’s. As a young guy who’d just moved to Seattle from the boonies, I was awestruck by the bold and colorful furniture that I’d seen in a few of the Italian based furniture stores. And then, there was that crazy fun movie ‘Ruthless People’ starring Better Midler and Danny DeVito in 1986 which solidified the outrageous design movement known as Post Modernism.  To be honest, I think they were poking fun at the Memphis furniture style  by stuffing the characters Bel-Air home on Belagio Drive with loads and loads of it. But it made an impact that stuck.

To be clear about this design movement, a lot of people hated it. But I’ve always believed in it. My professors at the UCLA interior design school taught us that it takes at least 20 years for the scholars to look back on a design movement and put it in perspective. Well… it’s been 30 years, and guys like Peter Shire and Ettore Sottsass, who founded the group, are getting museum shows all across the country. That’s a good sign.  And auction sales for their work are also very strong, another good sign. I own a few pieces of furniture from this era, and I’ve used them daily with great pride. In the photo below you can see the First Chair by Michele de Lucchi (blue disc on the right), that I’ve owned forever. I use it as my painting chair in my art studio because it’s durable and resistant to paint.

Romi Cortier painting in his Art Studio, Laurel Canyon, Photo Sylvan Scott
Romi Cortier painting in his Art Studio, Laurel Canyon, Photo Sylvan Scott

So, back to the exhibit. When we walked into MOCA, the receptionist mentioned that Peter might still be upstairs.  Whaaaat? Oh my god, really? I was so nervous as I climbed the stairs to the upper gallery.   He was there. In the corner. Chatting away. Well…. I circled the gallery, enjoyed and photographed my favorite pieces… but I just couldn’t bring myself to say hello. I was chickening out, but my fiance pushed me: say hello, say hello. You would have thought I was trying to work up the nerve to say hello to Brad Pit or some Hollywood A Lister. The thing is, in my eyes, men like Peter Shire are way more important then Hollywood celebs. They’re artists. They create something from nothing and change the way we view and experience the world. I was just as giddy  meeting the iconic photographer Julius Shulman and artist Francoise Gilot.

Mr. Shire was very kind and easy to talk to. He also thanked me for taking the work so seriously and for coming to his show. Please… I would have gotten down on my hands and knees and polished his shoes in that moment. I went downstairs, purchased a book from the show, and went back up for an autograph. He asked his famous architect friend to hold the book while I looked on: Too many famous people!!! In one room. To two very nice people!!!

www.petershirestudio.com 

Romi Cortier, Peter Shire, Friend and Architect, MOCA, West Hollywood, Photo Recio Young
Romi Cortier, Peter Shire, Friend and Architect, MOCA, West Hollywood, Photo Recio Young