Tour Philip Johnson’s modernist masterpiece The Wiley House

Get a rare glimpse inside the New Canaan property

Photographer Lane Coder took a rare peek inside Philip Johnson’s 1952 Wiley House – snapping its circular pool as well as its on-site art barn.

The New Canaan property is a cousin to Johnson’s nearby Glass House and features a glazed cube that cantilevers out over a fieldstone base. It’s changed hands several times since the 1950s, having been fully restored and added to, with a new pool house built into the hill.

Coder spent a day and night shooting the modernist home – rushing to finish before a snowstorm arrived.

‘I love the composition of the design and how the cube is set on a platform on a hill,’ says the photographer, who’s also shot Johnson’s Glass House. ‘I was especially drawn to photographing the property at night because the exterior lighting on the house and landscape was designed very well, similar to the Glass House, and it incorporates the surrounding nature beautifully. It’s kind of surreal.’

Tour Philip Johnson’s Modernist masterpiece The Wiley House
Photography: Lane Coder

‘There are lights on the roof that project out in different directions to light the surrounding trees, and that is especially beautiful in the winter when there aren’t any leaves and the vascular branches really stand out.’

As well as capturing the circular pool, which is shielded by a stone wall, Lane has photographed the property’s converted barn. It’s now home to what he describes as ‘a world-class art collection that one would never imagine exists inside’. The photographer says that the current owner – who’s now listed the property with Sotheby’s International Realty for $8.5m – has paid equal attention to the home’s interiors, designed to align with the property’s midcentury modern aesthetic.

Tour Philip Johnson’s Modernist masterpiece The Wiley House
Photography: Lane Coder

‘Each piece of furniture has its own presence with a suspended fireplace hanging in the middle of the living room,’ says Lane. ‘It is comfortable and lived in, yet feels like an art gallery at the same time.’

Tour Philip Johnson’s Modernist masterpiece The Wiley House
Photography: Lane Coder
Tour Philip Johnson’s Modernist masterpiece The Wiley House
Photography: Lane Coder
Tour Philip Johnson’s Modernist masterpiece The Wiley House
Photography: Lane Coder
Tour Philip Johnson’s Modernist masterpiece The Wiley House
Photography: Lane Coder

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