NICK LAROCHE FOR SOTHEBY’ S INTERNATIONAL REALTY( 2)
A view from the interior of Aso Tavitian’ s Prospect Hill Road home in Stockbridge when it was filled with exquisite artwork and finishings, as well as a look at the breathtaking grounds of the impressive home. It is on the market for $ 9.95 million, listed by Pat Melluzzo with Sotheby’ s International Realty, Great Barrington.
other pieces were loosely sitting in cardboard staging boxes waiting to be packed for transport to the Clark. One piece on the wall was by Meindert Hobbema, titled A Wooded Landscape with Travelers on a Road by Cottage( 1660s). It was also destined for the Clark. There was a section of the home that contained some 30 small sculptures by Jean-Pierre Dantan( 1800 – 1869). I leafed through a booklet of information that I found near the pieces and learned that this French portrait sculptor is known as the inventor of the sculptural caricature. As I read, it felt like Tavitian was sharing with me his knowledge of the artwork that meant so much to him. Although his Stockbridge home was large in size, each room had a certain warmth to it, as if someone who loved being there had lived there. I was told that everything was controlled to protect the art— from air conditioning and humidity control, to expansive windows with shades that rolled down by remote control when the sun was strong. Melluzzo was admittedly happy that the artwork was going. Having a furnished home for sale might be more appealing to view than one that is empty, but the artwork became the attraction for perspective buyers. I could understand that; I was one of those people who was awestruck by the art.
Walking around, I envisioned Tavitian out to the terrace, looking at the view— the expanse of Naumkeag’ s protected property and Stockbridge Bowl in the distance. I imagined he would be immersed in the beauty and tranquility of his surroundings. The view from the sunroom was equally stunning. On a clear day, you can even see the Stockbridge Cemetery, where Tavitian is now buried.
“ It was great when he gave the tour,” his caretaker tells me, pulling me back to the present. He was with Tavitian here the night before he died and took him to the hospital.“ I wish I had recorded him giving a tour of his house. I regret that I didn ' t do that because he had a great voice— Aso talking about why he chose this painting, what the connection was, why he liked it.”
Tavitian and Meisinger were the ultimate hosts, often holding dinner parties at both residences. His New York house was very elegant, with exquisite craftsmanship found throughout the interior: the upholstered walls; the hand-selected and hand-carved marble walls, floors, and stairways; the elegant antique light figures; and so on. Many of Tavitian’ s greatest paintings and sculptures that he owned may have been found there, but the Stockbridge house also was filled with great art. People from various organizations like Berkshire Theatre Group, Austen Riggs, the Clark, the Mahaiwe, and Close Encounters With Music would be invited to his Berkshire home.
“ He was, indeed, a generous supporter— truly, a gracious man,” says Kate Maguire, CEO and artistic director of Berkshire Theatre Group.“ Each summer season, Aso would entertain a full cast and company of our artists from a particular production.
20 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE May / June 2025