From the LongHouse Reserve

Jack, Larger Than Life is an homage to the internationally acclaimed textile designer, author, and collector Jack Lenor Larsen (1927–2020) and a record of a public exhibition held at LongHouse Reserve—Larsen’s longtime home in East Hampton, New York. Featuring more than 100 objects curated from the several thousand in the LongHouse Reserve collection of archival textiles, furniture, and decorative objects, the book presents an intimate portrait of Larsen as an artist, scholar, and recognized authority on traditional and contemporary crafts from around the world.

Among the nearly 50 inventive Larsen textile lengths that fill the book’s pages with color, texture, and pattern are such major commissions as Leverlin for Lever House, New York’s iconic International Style tower; Swazi Drapery, designed for the Wolf Trap theatre, near Washington, DC; and the light-reflecting, Mylar-mirrored Magnum, made for the Phoenix Opera House. Jack, Larger Than Life also serves as a catalogue of items from Larsen’s treasured personal collections—including signature pieces of clothing from his avant-garde wardrobe and contemporary artworks by renowned artists with whom Larsen developed close professional relationships and decades-long friendships. Win Anderson, Dale Chihuly, Dawn MacNutt, and Sang Ho Shin are just a few of the many groundbreaking artists represented. Captured in more than 80 full-color photographs and interwoven with Larsen’s own words—borrowed from his interviews, speeches, and writings—the book presents a moving portrait of an artist and “larger-than-life” personality, whose generosity and creative legacy will be long remembered.

LongHouse Reserve exemplifies living with art in all forms. Founded by Jack Lenor Larsen, its recollections, gardens, and programs reflect world cultures and inspire a creative life. Jack, Larger Than Life celebrates the LongHouse Reserve exhibition of the same name, on view from June 26 through Sept. 5, 2021.

Hardcover

96 Pages / 7.5” X 8.25”

ISBN: 978-1-938461-47-7

$35 USD