Curators Select: Recent Acquisitions, 2003–2008
On view at Cooper-Hewitt Sep 12, 2008–
Mar 1, 2009
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum has a diverse and rich permanent collection comprising more than 250,000 objects, dating from antiquity to the present day, housed in four curatorial departments—Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design; Product Design and Decorative Arts; Textiles; and Wallcoverings. The Museum’s recent acquisitions, highlights of which are presented in Curators Select: Recent Acquisitions, 2003–2008, reflect and enhance this continuum of design through gifts and strategic purchases.
When adding to the collection, the Museum’s curators and Collections Committee consider many important criteria, including a work’s function, craftsmanship, materials, production techniques, and style. They seek out objects which demonstrate the myriad ways in which designers work and think. For example, the Louis-Marin Bonnet prints and the English transferware pitcher exemplify innovations in printing technologies during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Sheila Hicks’s large wall textile illustrates the artist’s contemporary perspective on centuries-old embroidery stitching techniques. The inspiration for the design of the Campana Brothers’ stainless-steel bowl was a pantographic elevator door.
The ways in which objects are created and used often reveal broader historical and social contexts. For instance, the Britannia wallpaper evokes the ideals of coordinated eighteenth-century interiors. The Polaroid camera tells the story of early twentieth-century industrial design, when mass production brought reasonably priced goods to a wider segment of society. A current trend among some contemporary designers is unique or limited creations. Tokujin Yoshioka’s Honey Pop chair’s innovative use of paper is individually customized through use.
Viewed together, these objects illustrate the Museum’s mission to help the public understand the many roles design plays in our lives every day. We are grateful for the generosity of donors who have given both objects and funding to enable Cooper-Hewitt to enrich its collection.
