Sean Hemmerle
OCGC, Division 1, Lobby

About the Item

photograph, 35"x42" edition of 5 In this photograph, Sean Hemmerle captures images of an imperiled Brutalist masterwork, The Orange County Government Center in Goshen, NY. Hemmerle and designer William Watson collaborated to produce an archive of photographs and research about Paul Rudolph's extraordinary Government Center. . The Orange County Government Center has been the focus of an ongoing public debate concerning the viability and relevance of Brutalist architecture. Built in 1967, the Center opened in 1971, at a time of civic optimism, but the building was quickly beset by recessions, political reversals, and negligent maintenance, leaving it damaged and unpopular. Forty years later, local politicians, who considered the complex an economic and visual burden, forced the building’s evacuation and continue to lobby for its full or partial demolition. The Orange County Government Center is an important example of Paul Rudolph’s sculptural, multi-leveled Brutalist designs, which play with concepts of volume, texture and light; this building is considered one of his finest remaining structures. This series of photographs by Sean Hemmerle embraces the often illusive, experiential quality of the architectural components that make up this unique design. Sean Hemmerle’s photographs depict the the Government Center’s cavernous spaces, its volumes capped with more than eighty individual rooves. Hemmerle’s rigid and direct photographs reveal the underlying harmony of Rudolph's genius. Within Hemmerle’s photographs the viewer can slip inside the Government Center, illuminated indirectly from periscopic openings and uniquely fitted windows. One can palpably sense Rudolph’s brilliance expressed in the silent concrete chambers accented in hues of aubergine and ochre. Sometimes I think we build too many goldfish bowls and not enough caves.–Paul Rudolph. Sean Hemmerle is a New York based photographer whose work ranges from war zones to contemporary architecture. His conflict images span a tumultuous decade, from the World Trade Center to Kabul, Baghdad, Gaza, Juárez, and Beirut. Closer to home, Hemmerle has created iconic photographs that reflect the pathos and poetry of the American Rust Belt, including work from Detroit, Pittsburgh, Toledo, Gary, and Albany. Hemmerle has exhibited nationally and internationally; his work can be found in public and private collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, the International Center for Photography, The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and the Margulies Warehouse. His work was recently acquired by the Open Society Foundations for their permanent collection. Hemmerle’s images have been featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times Magazine, Time, Newsweek, Harper’s, Columbia Journalism Review, Le Monde 2, Die Zeit, The Sunday Telegraph, and Daylight Magazine.

Creator:
Sean Hemmerle (1966, American)
Dimensions:
Height: 35 in (88.9 cm)Width: 42 in (106.68 cm)
Medium:
C Print
Movement & Style:
Contemporary
Period:
21st Century
Condition:
Gallery Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU692263232
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