Event, Exhibit : Designing Modern Women, 1890–1990

Modern design of the 20th century was profoundly shaped and enhanced by the creativity of women — as muses of modernity and shapers of new ways of living, and as designers, patrons, performers, and educators. This installation, drawn entirely from MoMA’s collection, celebrates the diversity and vitality of individual artists’ engagement in the modern world, from Loïe Fuller’s pulsating turn-of-the-century performances to Paula Scher’s deconstructivist graphics of the 1990s.

Designing Modern Women, 1890–1990
Modern design of the 20th century was profoundly shaped and enhanced by the creativity of women—as muses of modernity and shapers of new ways of living, and as designers, patrons, performers, and educators. This installation, drawn entirely from MoMA’s collection, celebrates the diversity and vitality of individual artists’ engagement in the modern world, from Loïe Fuller’s pulsating turn-of-the-century performances to Paula Scher’s deconstructivist graphics of the 1990s.

When: October 05, 2013 through September 21, 2014

Where: Architecture and Design Galleries, third floor

moma designing women Highlights include the first display of a newly conserved kitchen by Charlotte Perriand and Le Corbusier (1952) from the Unite d’Habitation housing project; furniture and designs by Lilly Reich, Eileen Gray, Eva Zeisel, Ray Eames, Lella Vignelli, and Denise Scott Brown; textiles by Anni Albers and Eszter Haraszty; ceramics by Lucy Rie; a display of 1960s psychedelic concert posters by graphic designer Bonnie Maclean; and a never-before-seen selection of posters and graphic material from the punk era, featuring women designers, photographers, or performers.
CLick here for a larger graphic of samples

The gallery’s “graphics corner” first explores the changing role and visual imagery of The New Woman through a selection of posters created between 1890 and 1938; in April 2014 the focus will shift to Women and War, an examination of the iconography and varied roles of women in times of conflict, commemorating the centennial of the outbreak of World War I.

Organized by Juliet Kinchin, Curator, and Luke Baker, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Architecture and Design.

Architecture and Design Collection Exhibitions are made possible by Hyundai Card.

Additional support for Designing Modern Women 1890–1990 is provided by The Modern Women’s Fund.

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GO Moma.org – Designing Modern Women 1890–1990
GO IMAGES : Designing Modern Women 1890–1990

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NYT Art Review: Shaping the Future, in the Kitchen and Beyond

And, thanks for reading

Fred Showker

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