The Sexy Modernists of Litchfield

Who knew architecture could be so titillating?

The core of the old dead blog MONDOBLOGO was a lot of “reviews” of books I liked or loved that I presented on ye olde internets for the first time. I’m going to return to that formula today, but with something that is already on the internet, but maybe something that you missed, and I am here today to turn you on to it. It’s a book and a film called “Breuer’s Bohemia” by an internet friend of mine James Crump. I’ve only met James once at a book signing at Michael Bargo’s loft for Ronnie Sasson’s beautiful book launch published by another friend Dung Ngo. Ronnie is James’s wife, and that was quite a design name drop! Anyway, ignore me and pay attention to this book and film. I reread the book, finishing it last night, and need to rewatch the film. I enjoyed both immensely and learned so much. I was already a huge Marcel Breuer fan, having visited, stalked, and even slept in a couple of his modernist residences over the years since teaming up with my wife Alex Gilbert, who was an architect and turned me on to the pleasures of tracking down and actually living (if only for a week) in these simple, yet beautiful and relaxing spaces in New York, Connecticut and Cape Cod. Most of the houses we have visited (and plenty we haven’t (yet!)) are in the book and documentary. James’s writing is informative and makes it easy to imagine you are back in this magical period hanging with Breuer, Gropius, Matter, Bayer, Moholy-Nagy, Calder, Paul Newman and even Marylin Monroe for God’s sake! The list of notables in the art and design worlds that traipsed through, partied in and got jiggy in these Breuer houses is stunning, and there is so much gossip and intrigue as well, but delivered here in a fascinating manner, like getting a peek behind the curtain of the lives of Breuer and his clients, who became very, very, very close friends. This was the beginning of the sexual revolution, and God knows these modernist are quite open about ideas of how one should live: publicly, personally and privately. I won’t spoil any of the sexy bits for you here, you will have to watch the film for that or better yet get the book.

Below are some of my favorite images from the book with some commentary below each:

The house that you could say started it all, the Breuer “House in the Museum Garden” from 1948 at MoMA. The Stillmans, who became Breuer’s biggest clients, first saw Breuer’s work here and quickly commissioned him to build them a house, the first of 4 residences that the architect would design for them, not to mention the referrals and corporate business Rufus and his wife Leslie passed on to Breuer and his firm.

Rufus & Leslie visiting Breuer’s Cottage in Wellfleet, MA in 1952. Lots of eating, drinking and apparently bed swapping happened in Wellfleet as well as in Litchfield, CT.

Lajkó was Breuer’s nickname for intimates.

Breuer and the Stillmans wanted to recreate the magic of the Upper Cape in Litchfield. Here we see Serge and Barbara Chermayeff (2 great houses on this property) relaxing with friends in Wellfleet.

This is the Serge Chermayeff designed guest house on the property.

Breuer also spent a lot of time in Wellfleet with his former teacher, boss and partner Walter Gropius and his lovely wife Ise, with whom he was rumored to have an ongoing affair.

Ise on the roof deck of the Gropius House in Lincoln, Mass. in 1945. This house and the one Breuer built nearby while working at Harvard would pave the way for his work with the Stillmans in Connecticut.

Connie and Lajkó in the interior of their first house in America, c. 1940. Photo by Ezra Stoller.

Calder with his mobile and Josep Lluís Sert during a party at the house in 1941. Calder would become very close with the Breuers and Stillmans, designing murals and sculpture for all of their buildings and generally being the life of the party.

Here is Calder painting a mural at the Stillman House 1. His initial design was deemed to risqué for Litchfield. It was titled “Old and Young,” and the original 11” x 25” ink on paper is said to reside in the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, but I can find no record of it, frustratingly. Here is James’s description of it, and please excuse the photo of the text as I can’t type!

If anyone has an image of this piece please pass along to me!

Here is how the mural looks today. It’s been repainted obviously but still looks good.

Enter into the picture Andrew Gagarin and his wife Jamie (pictured here in the 1960s). Andrew and Rufus Stillman worked at the same corporation (Torrington Manufacturing Company) and were quite competitive, yet very intimate friends, so close that that it is rumored that they were also trying out each other’s beds. Through Rufus’s introduction to Breuer, Andrew and his wife commissioned 3 houses by him, the first being the largest Breuer ever designed (12,200 sqft) and the last possibly being the smallest (600 sqft).

Stillman House 2, this is where James and Ronnie spend their summers. We have yet to visit, but that is on our 2026 houses to see list for sure.

The amazing interior as it looks now, get Ronnie’s book to see much much more of the art and design inside as well as the interiors.

Remember, what happens in Wellfleet stays in Wellfeet!

This photo is on the cover of the book and shows Gropius, Breuer, Herbert Bayer and Xanti Schawinsky frolicking on the beach, not quite the Cape, and hours away from CT, but I also think this photo sums up the vibe of this great group of friends and colleagues at their most uninhibited…

So I’ve incoherently and in quite a scattershot manner described this very interesting book, but don’t let that keep you from seeing the film and checking out the book. It’s highly recommended, and know that there will be more on all of these amazing people, places and buildings in the future here at MONDOBLOGO as they are all very close to my heart and to our new home in Litchfield County, and no it’s not a Breuer house unfortunately!

Thanks for looking and reading!

-Patrick