If you are lucky enough to find yourself in New York at the moment, then you will be in the midst of one of the largest celebrations of mid-century style ever assembled.
Across five museums – Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, The Jewish Museum, Museum of Arts and Design, Museum of the City of New York, and Museum of Jewish Heritage – there are a range of exhibitions covering all kinds of Pash Classics-friendly design.
The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum is looking at posters from pioneers like Herbert Matter, Paul Rand and Philippe Apeloig to lesser-known makers, all of whom used composition, perception and storytelling to convey ideas and construct experiences.
Less highbrow but equally fascinating is The Jewish Museum’s Revolution of the Eye: Modern Art and the Birth of American Television, exploring how avant-garde art influenced the look and content of network television in its formative years of the 1950s and 1960s.
A female perspective is highlighted at the Museum of Arts and Design with Pathmakers: Women in Art, Craft and Design, Midcentury and Today considering the important contributions of women to modernism in post-war visual culture.
Madison Avenue legend Paul Rand, often called the “Picasso of graphic design” is showcased at the Museum of the City of New York looking at his advertising work for IBM, ABC, UPS, Westinghouse, Morningstar, and Steve Job’s NeXT project.
Finally, the Museum of Jewish Heritage is holding Designing Home: Jews and Midcentury Modernism, exploring the Jewish contribution to modernism including a Pash Classics favourite, the Marshmallow Sofa originally designed by George Nelson.
If like me, a busy social schedule means that you can’t make it to New York just at the moment, then each of the museums has some excellent online resources that are well worth an hour or two of your time. Happy web browsing!
