Art on the Roof

The "house" pays tribute to the Mid-West as well as the Psycho movie

The Roof Garden at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a great spot to take in the views of the Manhattan skyline. And it was the perfect contrasting backdrop to British artist Cornelia Parker's art installation, Transitional Object (PsychoBarn).

The rooftop has amazing views of the Manhattan skyline

In a video she explains that she wanted to do something with red barns, and then came across Edward Hopper's works. He did a painting in 1925 called House by the Railroad, and realized that director Alfred Hitchcock had based the house in the 1960 movie Psycho on Hopper's painting.

She researched that eerie house and found that in reality it wasn't a real house, but wait was actually a facade, a set prop for filming.

That gave her the idea to do something similar on the roof of the Met, since it would be difficult to construct an entire house there.

Edward Hopper's House by the Railroad

Continuing with her interest in barns, she worked with a restoration company that salvaged wood from an old barn and made it into the facade of the Psycho house, with the corrugated roof fashioned into individual shingles.

When people approach the work, they think it's a whole house on the roof, but when they go around the back, they actually see it's propped up like a set.

But it's so interesting to see such a traditional piece of Americana architecture found in the mid-West contrasted against the sleek New York skyline.

Kudos to Parker for thinking about all these aspects and tying them altogether to create an arresting image that's alternatively quaint and unsettling at the same time.

Transitional Object (PsychoBarn)

Look around and the house is actually a facade

Until October 31, 2016

The Roof Garden Commission

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

1000 Fifth Avenue

New York
(212) 535 1675