In his How High the Moon chair, designer Shiro Kuramata utilizes an industrial material, steel mesh, to give a contemporary interpretation to the traditional club chair. The shape and proportions are based on an established Western form—a bulky, deeply upholstered easy chair with a low back and deep arms—but here, Kuramata’s use of an unexpected...
Embossed Stainless Steel was designed by Reiko Sudo, one of Japan’s most important contemporary textile designers. Educated at Musashino Art University, she and Junichi Arai (Japanese, 1932–2017) were the co-founders in 1984 of the Japanese company and store, NUNO, which produces textiles of extraordinary ingenuity and beauty. Sudo and the other designers at NUNO combine...
In celebration of Women’s History Month, March Object of the Day posts highlight women designers in the collection. Tsugihagi was designed by Reiko Sudo, one of Japan’s most important contemporary textile designers. Educated at Musashino Art University, she and Junichi Arai (Japanese, 1932–2017) were the co-founders in 1984 of the Japanese company and store, NUNO,...
The Cooper Hewitt has over 50 wallpapers by the little-known German company Hosel Tapeten. Centered in the town of Hosel, situated partway between Düsseldorf and Essen in the northwest of the country, the company’s output was very typical of post-World War II German papers. The period saw an increase in the amount of cheap, mass-produced...
In 1924, the US Secretary of State advised the French government that the United States would not participate in the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris, because American manufacturers had “little or nothing to display” that would meet the French admissibility requirements of new inspiration, and originality. Yet, America could...
The latest in our 4 Questions 4 interview series features Anab Jain, founding partner of Superflux, a collaborative design practice based in Ahmedabad and London. Anab is a designer and entrepreneur who has worked in film, interaction design, and innovation consulting. Educated in India, Vienna and London, Anab has an MA with distinction in Interaction...
Find out how designers today are rethinking the aesthetics, process, and public of graphic design by creating their own software and systems. Join Cooper-Hewitt's Curatorial Director, Cara McCarty, Walker Art Center Curator, Andrew Blauvelt, and interaction designer, Dimitri Nieuwenhuizen, in a lively discussion. Dimitri is a member of Lust, the innovative Dutch design collective that...
Some of the most significant architects of our era have cited designer and architect Giovanni Battista Piranesi’s influence on their work. Learn how architects Peter Eisenman, Founder and Principal, Eisenman Architects; Michael Graves, Founder and Principal, Michael Graves & Associates; and Robert Venturi, Principal of Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates are inspired by Piranesi’s eclectic...
Thomas Geisler will speak about contemporary design work in Austria, including Viennese tableware, 20th century and contemporary design. Thomas is design curator at the Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Arts (MAK) in Vienna and co-founder of Vienna Design Week which has initiated projects with contemporary designers and local traditional manufactures such as J.&L. Lobmeyr...
