The invisible house is both a stunning centerpiece, and yet completely discreet. Designed by owner and filmmaker Chris Hanley, along with Gehry collaborator Tomas Osinski, it exists in a roundabout way thanks to Andy Warhol. Before producing films like Ox ’66, spring breakers, The suicide virgins and American psychopath (famous narcissist Patrick Bateman would have a lot of fun with these reflective surfaces), Hanley and his wife Roberta were staples of the New York art scene. Hanley’s Intergalactic Studios were frequented by artists such as The Ramones and Afrika Bambaataa (“Planet Rock,” recorded at Intergalactic, pioneering digital sampling and paving the way for hip hop and electro rock).
Warhol would also visit their studios. “[He] has always commented that “earth is the best art” and “having land and not ruining it was the best art,” Hanley says. Warhol’s words planted a seed. When Hanley and Roberta moved west, they found a 90-acre reserve bordering federal lands, teeming with mountains, valleys, and foothills to explore. They bought it in artistic collaboration with Warhol superstar Jane Holzer, aka “Baby Jane Holzer”. “At the end of 2005, when I found the Joshua Tree plot, I called Jane and said, ‘We have to get this,’” says Hanley. “This is the best art we have ever bought.”
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