Scandinavian Design August 26, 2012–January 27, 2013
Poul Henningsen, PH "Artichoke" Lamp, manufactured by Louis Poulsen & Company, 1958, copper, steel, and enameled metal, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase with funds provided by the Design Council, 2000.
Ida Forss, "Sugarfree" Necklace, 1999, porcelain and silver, the MFAH, Helen Williams Drutt Collection, gift of the Caroline Wiess Law Foundation.
Bruno Mathsson, manufactured by Firma Karl Mathsson, pillow fabric designed by Josef Frank, Chaise Longue, designed 1934, made 1942, beech jute, cotton, leather, and metal, the MFAH, museum purchase with funds provided by the Design Council, 1999.
Kaj Franck, Decanter, model 1500 "Kremlin Bells," designed c. 1957, made 1962, glass, the MFAH, gift of George R. Bunker and Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Keerans, by exchange, and Caroline Wiess Law.
Michael Geertsen, Green Object, 2003, earthenware, the MFAH, Garth Clark and Mark Del Vecchio Collection, gift of Garth Clark and Mark Del Vecchio.
Designed by Sven Palmquist, manufactured by Orrefors AB Glasbruk, Ravenna Bowl, c. 1962–63, glass, the MFAH, gift of the Susan Vaughan Foundation and Jeffrey A. Shankman.
Designed by Hans J. Wegner, manufactured by Johannes Hansen, Armchair (one of a pair), designed 1949, teak and cane, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase.
Scandinavian Design, drawn from the MFAH collection of decorative arts, showcases furniture, glass, ceramics, metalwork, and lighting from the 1920s to the 1970s. The MFAH first acquired examples of modern Finnish glass in 1954, and in recent years the museum has built on this history by acquiring outstanding objects from architects, designers, and manufacturers such as Alvar Aalto, Kaj Franck, Poul Henningsen, Georg Jensen, Finn Juhl, Bruno Mathsson, Orrefors, Verner Panton, Timo Sarpaneva, and Tapio Wirkkala.
The objects created by designers active in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden during the 20th century embody a distinctive aesthetic typified by an emphasis on high-quality design distributed widely through mass production.
Often characterized by Minimalism and clean lines, the Scandinavian design movement originated with a 1950s design show that traveled to the United States and Canada to showcase Nordic designers and the “Scandinavian way of living.” Scandinavian design influenced the development of Modernism in North America and Europe, and it continues to shape decorative arts today.
This exhibition is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Generous funding is provided by:
Dr. Marjorie G. Horning