Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/221571
Soaring stairs boast the sculptural expertise of Ed Wilson's organic metal rails and James Surls' dome, which both figuratively and literally mark an apex of the collection. A BEAUTIFUL TESTAMENT TO THE POWER of the OUTSIDER THE INTRIGUINGLY CURATED INTERIORS OF COLLECTOR MARILYN OSHMAN — A PRIVILEGED PEEK INSIDE HER VENERATED HOME THE MONTH SHE PRODUCES HER ANNUAL MAGNUM OPUS, THE ORANGE SHOW GALA. Y ou could subtitle our featured house "The DNA of the Orange Show movement: the rarely told tale of how Marilyn Oshman saved one of America's most beloved outsider art monuments." But that would only be part of the story of the owner of this spacious neoGeorgian River Oaks home that serves as a repository for a collection of depth, significance, strength and refinement — important sculpture and paintings by luminaries ranging from Chris Burden and Ed Kienholz to Ed Ruscha, Thornton Dial, Leonora Carrington and James Surls, alongside fantastical and often shamanistic objets, handsome hand-hewn furnishings, custom architectural fixtures and other exquisite flourishes. Above all, this residence manifests a dialogue across ages, continents and tribes among visionary artists, top-tier Texas creatives, modern and contemporary provocateurs and some of Surrealism's most illustrious lights. In 2008, Oshman moved from a 1930s antebellumstyle home on River Oaks Boulevard where she, her husband and two children had lived for 35 years. But the hunt for a new domain that could house her everexpanding art collection was arduous. Finally she spotted this home, snapped it up, then began another arduous task: remodeling and freshening. One-and-a-half years later, the project was complete, including highly lacquered walls, smooth as milk, employing automotive paint to create a level-five type of finish that was inspired, says Oshman, by the luster of a Lamborghini. Then Oshman tapped Texas artist friends whom she'd always collected to concoct something quite special in terms of the architecture. Biggest wows begin at the entrance, with Ed Wilson's sinuous three-story metal stairway, which reaches its apogee in a stainless-steel dome by James Surls, while in the living room Dorman David has his way with wood via a carved fireplace that melds whimsy with a contemporary nod to Art Nouveau. More than a house to contain art, this house became a work of art. PIVOTAL MOMENT THAT PROPELLED YOU INTO THE ART WORLD. Oh, my goodness. I think it all started when I was a senior in college in Manhattan, and I ended up in a contemporary arts class with Ivan Karp as my teacher. This was in 1960. Ivan had just become the director of the Leo Castelli Gallery, which was just a block from my dorm. I took the class because a girlfriend of mine that lived in the same apartment building had gotten married, and her in-laws had given the couple a collection of French contemporary art. I would have tea CATHERINE D. ANSPON PLUMBS THE TREASURES OF THE VERY PRIVATE FOUNDER/CHIEF PATRONESS OF THE ORANGE SHOW. PHOTOGRAPHY JACK THOMPSON. PRODUCED BY JENNY ANTILL AND MICHELLE AVIÑA. INTERIOR DESIGN ED HARRIS, HARRIS SANDERS INTERIOR DESIGN.