Curing Chromophobia

“The famously chromophobic Chelsea got a shock of color on Thursday night,’ notes The New York Times in its review of a new show curated by Peter Stamberg BArch 72 and Paul Aferiat, partners in life and in the Manhattan-based firm Stamberg Aferiat + Associates.

Invited to design and organize the exhibition Art on Color, which opened on June 5 at Gemini G.E.L. at Joni Moisant Weyl Gallery, the architects chose a vibrant backdrop of oranges, yellows and greens for works drawn from the gallery’s collection. The show presents pieces that pop by giants of the art world such as John Baldessari, Ann Hamilton, David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein, Man Ray, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist,Joel Shapiro and more. 

Stamberg and Aferiat both credit their friend David Hockney for inspiring their signature feel for color, which they use to great effect in their own homes (see pages 34–39 in this issue of RISD XYZ) and their work for clients. “He pointed out to us that when you look at art on a white wall the first thing you see is the frame, but when you look at art on a wall with color, the first thing you see is the art,” Stamberg explained at the opening, where he looked at home in a fluorescent orange jacket and his partner sported pink seersucker.