Alexander Girard
American, 1907-1993
Sofa from a suite designed from Braniff Airlines, c. 1965
Cast aluminum, cloth upholstry in "Checker" pattern
Gift of Della Petrick Rothermel in memory of John Petrick Rothermel 94.65.1
Image: Courtesy Marshall Girard

The Experiment Continues: Design from 1945 to the Present

Thursday, May 19, 2011—Sunday, September 11, 2011
Cargill Gallery 103
Free Exhibition

The MIA's Modernism collection, focusing on decorative arts and design from 1880 to 1940, is one of the world's best. Taking that collection as a departure point, this exhibition brings attention to the museum's modest but notable holdings of design from the post-World War II era to the present. American and European designers over the last six decades have explored abstraction of form, new technologies, new materials, and adventurous colors in items for household use. This exhibition focuses on these developments through over thirty examples of furniture, industrial design, jewelry, and other consumer objects, including notable recent acquisitions. Works by Americans Charles and Ray Eames, Harry Bertoia, Frank Gehry, and Michael Graves, as well as Europeans Eero Aarnio, Piero Fornasetti, and Jens Quistgaard, are among the designers included.