Wirthwhile Investment

The estate of feminist realist artist Sylvia Sleigh Alloway has sold her Chelsea townhouse. The painter, whose husband Lawrence Alloway coined the term “Pop Art” and was a curator at the Guggenheim, passed away last year.

 

The home, located at 330 West 20^th Street, will be the perfect collector’s item for the buyer, Ursula Hauser. Ms. Hauser, a Swiss art collector, is known to have amassed a significant store of work by female artists, including Sleigh’s work. Ms. Hauser co-founded the esteemed art gallery Hauser & Wirth with her son-in-law in 1992. The gallery established an outpost in New York two years ago.

 

 

 

“That property just has a really good energy, you know?” Corcoran broker Steve Millhollon told The Observer. Mr. Millhollon said that the home is definitely a fixer-upper. “It has tons of potential,” he said. “There’s a lot that can be done with it.”

 

For those hoping to feel some of that special energy, they should try the backyard. In the listing, which Mr. Millhollon shared with fellow Corcoran agent David Strah, the brokers note that Ms. Sleigh worked extensively from home, painting her provocative works in the 40-foot back garden. “Not all townhouses have a nice garden like that,” Mr. Millhollon said.

 

The 5-bedroom, 2.5-bath Greek Revival gem was built around 1857. Spanning four floors and featuring an oval skylight, four marble fireplaces and a double parlor with twelve foot ceilings, the 3,264-square-foot home is an ornate artist’s den.

 

The property was originally listed in May of this year for $4.195 million but sold for $3.8 million.

 

It must be comforting for the family to know that Sleigh’s works will likely adorn the townhouse’s walls once more.