Artist Autumn Casey Puts a Playful, Floridian Spin on the Iconic Tiffany Lamp

Autumn Casey’s first exposure to Tiffany lamps—one of the defining decorative objects from the Art Nouveau movement—came from the trickled-down recreations they inspired. “I grew up in South Florida in the ’90s, so my introduction was very much the glass lamps in Pizza Hut and Applebees,” she says, laughing. But, even in their most mass-market form, she found them deeply appealing: “I’ve always loved illuminated things,” she explains. “And these are so intricate and just beautiful.”

Yet, the Miami-based artist’s metaphorical lightbulb moment came decades later: during a visit to the Queens Museum’s Neustadt Collection, a permanent gallery dedicated to Louis Comfort Tiffany’s stained glass lights and windows. What if Casey took his iconic works as a reference—and had some fun with it? “Like a punk song or something where people are trying to play together at the same time, and it’s just always a little bit off,” is how she describes her approach.

The result? Her collection, “Fantasy and Her Fantasies,” which is on display at The Future Perfect’s West Village townhouse gallery through March 14. (Although those who attended Design Miami fair this December will have already enjoyed a sneak peek of Casey’s work at The Future Perfect’s well-appointed booth.) Instead of glass, Casey’s lamps are made with fabric, wire, and resin, creating a playful, almost psychedelic feel. The fabric is a particularly poignant choice of material: she inherited “three massive totes” full of scraps from her grandmother, who was an antique dealer and doll-maker.