527 Madison Avenue Announces Dirk Westphal Exhibition

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mitsui Fudosan America, Inc. (MFA) www.mfamerica.com, the U.S. affiliate of Japan’s largest real estate company, is pleased to announce that paintings by Dirk Westphal will be on exhibition in the Lobby Gallery of 527 Madison Avenue from January 12 – May 13, 2016. Located at 54^th Street and Madison Avenue, the show is open to the public 9 AM – 5 PM, Monday through Friday. This is the sixth exhibition in 527 Madison’s ongoing program showcasing noteworthy emerging artists.

Carefully composed and technically accomplished, Westphal’s photographs draw attention to themselves through the use of ravishing color and abrupt cropping. The eleven color photographs in the show are drawn from two bodies of his work, one of which focuses on goldfish and a newer series that depicts arrangements of plastic bottle caps. Both series demonstrate the Westphal’s long-term interest in how ideas of beauty are integrated into consumer culture, often to the point of excess. The fish in Westphal’s photographs, for example, have been bred extensively to have bulbous eyes and flowing tails that make them fascinating to watch but barely able to swim. Purchased from vendors near his Chinatown studio, these animals are captivating to a point, but their anatomy is at times almost repulsive. The bottle caps that Westphal uses are collected at home by the artist’s family, which he then sorts and arranges on a lightbox. Here, the sheer profusion of these objects astounds—that so many can be effortlessly accumulated and then discarded after a single use is as amazing as it is disturbing. It is this human tendency to over-indulge that interests Westphal.

However, while there is an inherent critique of corporate-driven artifice in his work, Westphal’s compelling images contain a sense of humor (reinforced by the wry titles he gives them) which allow him to make his point without being heavy-handed. More importantly, Westphal’s ability to organize form and color amplifies the inherent beauty of his subject matter, making these images engaging and arresting.

For more information about 527 Madison’s exhibitions, please contact Jay Grimm, who organizes the emerging artists program on behalf of 527 Madison at [e-mail].

527 Madison Avenue is a boutique commercial office building located at the corner of 54^th Street and Madison Avenue in New York City. Completed in 1986, it was designed by celebrated architectural firm Fox and Fowle. The property has recently completed lobby and elevator upgrades and is owned by an affiliate of Mitsui Fudosan America, Inc., the US subsidiary of Japan's largest real estate company, Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. For leasing information, please contact:

James B. Frederick Phone: [phone] [e-mail]

Peter J. Occhi Phone: [phone] [e-mail]

About Mitsui Fudosan America, Inc.

Mitsui Fudosan America, Inc. (MFA) is a real estate investment and development company headquartered in New York City and is the U.S. subsidiary of Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. – Japan’s largest publicly traded real estate company. MFA’s history in the United States dates back to the early 1970’s. Since its inception, MFA has acquired and developed numerous office, multifamily and hospitality properties in major markets throughout the U.S. including: 1251 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan; The Homer Building in Washington D.C.; Figueroa at Wilshire in Los Angeles and the renowned Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki, Hawaii. In addition to its significant portfolio of office buildings, MFA recently expanded its development platform, with several office and multifamily projects under development in New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington D.C. MFA is a major investor in the development of Hudson Yards in New York, NY.