Through a showcase of vintage furnishings, housewares, and graphics, the exhibit Designing Home: Jews and Midcentury Modernism, opening at the Museum of Jewish Heritage March 31, explores how Jewish émigré and American-born designers and architects helped spark America's embrace of midcentury modernism— forging a bold new direction in design and thought. This will be the first time the exhibit will be seen in New York.
Julius Shulman, Kaufmann House, designed by Richard Neutra (Palm Springs, CA), 1947. Copyright © J. Paul Getty Trust.
Designing Home will focus on the roles of more than 30 Jewish architects, designers, and patrons, including Anni Albers, George Nelson, and Richard Neutra; as well as others whose fascinating life stories and important contributions have received less acclaim.
George Nelson & Associates, Irving Harper, Herman Miller, Marshmallow Sofa, 1956. Courtesy of Herman Miller, Inc.
Designing Home will also examine significant patrons, merchants, and media figures who helped disseminate the midcentury modern aesthetic and worldview to a broad audience. Donald Albrecht, Curator of Architecture and Design at the Museum of the City of New York, is the guest curator of the exhibition.
On March 29, Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner, who is currently making the circuit in conjunction with the show's series finale, speaks with New York Magazine critic and RogerEbert.com editor Matt Zoller Seitz, on how the series became not just the story of the rise of advertising, but of a generation of Jews coming into their own in post-war America. The discussion begins at 4pm.
For more information, or to order tickets to the Matthew Weiner event, visit mjhnyc.org.
