Client: American Real Estate Partners (AREP)

Overview

“Superbloom” (left) and “Supernova” (right) are two 17’ x 14.5’ acrylic paintings on canvas, commissioned from artist Nicole Mueller by American Real Estate Partners (AREP) and Artists Circle Fine Art for the newly renovated main lobby of 1625 Eye Street in Washington D.C. Located just blocks away from the White House, the two paintings are intended to become vibrant fixtures, their bold color captivating people from the street and drawing them into the lobby, their colossal scale fully immersing viewers up close. Built from an abstract visual language, Mueller uses color and form in her paintings to create a sensation of being in transition. Her work is rooted in the idea that nothing is static but exists in a constant state of flux.

Commissioned at the start of 2021, during a moment of political, social, and economic transformation, the paintings’ energetic composition, bursting with color and fragmented forms, make them feel as if they are simultaneously exploding and imploding, collapsing and breaking apart, or merging together all at once, themselves suspended in a moment of evolution. The massive scale of each painting renders them each monuments to a world in transition, intended to serve as a reminder of things that are greater than oneself.

Goals

AREP wanted something visually bold and impactful that would capture the attention of people on the street, and draw them into this public lobby.

There’s a drama to the scale that we wanted to bring into the composition, which felt especially significant given their placement in the heart of Washington D.C., a place where so many influential decisions are made that impact our country and our world.

I approached the paintings as monuments themselves, to a world in flux with enormous potential and creative energy.

Color was another important element in pushing the paintings to be as vibrant as possible, as the paintings are intended to invigorate and energize the space.

Process

The artist was approached about this project after a lengthy selection process and worked closely with the art consultancy and client to present a series of paintings that would achieve their goals of attracting people into the lobby with their vibrancy and accurately encapsulate the energy of the present moment. The artist was given significant creative freedom and aimed to amplify the paintings' already massive sense of scale through their composition. The client encouraged the artist to continue pushing her use of color for the paintings to be as bold as possible. The project involved close coordination between the artist, art consultancy, fabricators, and art shippers/handlers in order to achieve all project deadlines within a short turnaround time to coincide with the completion of the lobby renovation. The entire project from start to finish spanned less than five months, and the paintings themselves were created within a six week timeframe, then transported cross-country from San Francisco to Washington D.C. where they were finally installed.

For more information, contact artist at: studio@nicolemariemueller.com

Additional Information

Photography by Karl Connolly.