Living with art
THE HOME OF A COLLECTOR IN BERLIN: COMFORT AND BEAUTY IN A MIXTURE OF VINTAGE AND CONTEMPORARY STYLE.
The building in Charlottenburg containing the apartment of art historian and collector Marta Gnyp dates back to 1905, when the district was still a reality apart from the city of Berlin. The high ceilings (4.5 m), ample spaces (350 m 2) and big windows were the features that attracted Gnyp, who four years ago, after a long stay in Holland, was looking for a home for herself, her companion and her works of art: paintings, sculptures, installations and photographs by contemporary talents from all over the world, now on view in every room of the house. The flat is divided into two zones. In the more public area the ceilings are higher and the windows face the street. This part contains four large rooms. The zone of greater privacy, on the other hand, contains two bedrooms, a wardrobe, bathrooms and the kitchen, the true magnet of the layout with a large wooden dining table and Ecart chairs. A large living area connects the two zones, attenuating the sense of separation. The enclosure is neutral, in tones of white, pale gray and green by Farrow & Ball. Often in dialogue with vintage furnishings, books, pottery and carpets (all from Rug Star), the spaces all feature art, including large oil paintings by Rose Wylie and Zachary Armstrong, prints on linen, paper and aluminium by Petra Cortright, bas-relief paintings by Gina Beavers, sculptures by Raúl de Nieves, photographs by Rineke Dijkstra, and works by the artist from Ghana Serge Attukwei Clottey, made with discarded cans and tires. «The artworks require their space», Gnyp explains, «but they should never get the upper hand over habitat comfort». Living with art requires a constant aptitude for change. Whenever a new work is installed – and Marta Gnyp constantly buys new pieces – the entire ecosystem of each space has to be revised and reorganized.