charles and ray eames – DesignApplause

what’s the difference between art and design? expo chicago 2022.

Apr 8, 2022

above > collectors enjoying video art by a former graphic designer gregory scott / catherine edelman gallery booth 169

note: this post in ‘in-progress’ as we await more details…

more than 140 leading art galleries from 65 cities in 25 countries show off their stable of talent at expo chicago 2022 which is the perfect confabulation and launchpad to contemplate what inspires the art. in this instance, DesignApplause submits that architecture, design, and engineering are one and the same and art is not.

> “what is the difference between art and design? as it applies to graphic design, i will say that the difference between art and design or artist and designers, is expression vs communication. … expression is about the artist and their view, design is about the audience and viewer. expression can be abstract and intangible but design has to be clear for the most part.” ~ anonymous

> “when one attempts to define art, there will be an artist to prove it wrong. ‘art is beautiful’ art becomes ugly. ‘art is emotional’ art becomes emotionless. ‘art is form’ art becomes idea. that’s the problem, art will always shatter definitions.

having said that, i will ignore my own advice and take a crack. i think it comes down to function. design can have many functions, whereas art has one single function. the function of art. digging deeper, the art concept can be portrayed in many different ways. the function of art isn’t singular, its endless.

so design is applied art? or maybe an eames chair is a design object when you’re trying to sell it or sit in it, and an art object when you’re observing it, etc. ~ anonymous

DesignApplause asked galleries if their artists in this show pursued any architectural or design studies in their background. 24 of 30 (80%) galleries point out the following:

above > artist virginia jaramillo was inspired by product designers charles and ray eames – jaramillo and a selected group of other students would make weekly visits to the celebrated designer charles and ray eames’s studio. there, jaramillo was introduced to design, architecture, and “a philosophy of structure and the purity of form.” these discoveries opened “a different way of seeing” for jaramillo and would guide her artistic thinking and output in the following decades. even as she was learning from the eameses, she began to explore japanese woodcuts and a related aesthetic philosophy, called ma, which she would ultimately channel into “the curvilinear paintings,” her best-known series. / hales gallery booth 323

artist margaret wharton worked in advertising before she received a bfa from the school of the art institute in sculpture. whorton, who passed away in 2014, left behind fantastically crafted sculptural assemblages as well as a body of raely seen conceptual photographs. hers is the story of women artists who came out in the 1970s declaring their feminisst credos. and many, like warton, used the very trappings of their domestic environment as form and content. wharton tells us, “the bandsaw was her paintbrush.’ / jean albano gallery booth 317

above> artist sara cwynar has a degree in design from york university in toronto / foxy production booth 314

above > fredrickson stallard – ian stallard earned a degree in product design and studied architecture (red chair, chrome coffee and side tables) david gill gallery 234

above > artist tomokazu matsuyama has a pratt degree in communications design / gavi gupta booth 211

above> an interesting chat with gallery owner who says none of his artists studied architecture or design / however gallery is overly represented in typographic art – the image above was created by an art & architecture department chairperson (awaiting name of artist) gallery rene schmitt booth 128

above > timothy taylor booth 205

above> featuring designer jonathan meuke (works in the middle) / volume gallery booth 332

note: teh following updated 15 may 2022…
[ expo chicago ], the international exposition of contemporary and modern art, concluded its ninth edition on sunday, april 10, with a high attendance of international collectors and curators alongside 30,000 visitors, exceptional presentations from exhibiting galleries and strong sales, in what was its most global edition to date. on opening day alone, the exposition welcomed more than 8,000 vip guests while raising $260,000 to benefit the museum of contemporary art chicago during the fair’s vernissage. collectors, curators, artists and art professionals enjoyed an exclusive first look at over 140 leading galleries from 25 countries and 65 cities throughout navy pier’s iconic festival hall. expo chicago will return april 13 – 16, 2023.

“we are thrilled with the enthusiastic return of expo chicago as we once again welcomed a global network of art dealers, curators, museum directors, collectors, artists, and arts enthusiasts to our great city,” said tony karman, president | director. “the city galvanized to provide a vibrant, robust week of activities in support of local and visiting patrons and i am deeply proud that our success proved the importance of this marketplace and re-established our place on the international art world calendar in this april timeslot.”

alessi wins 2021 good design awards.

Jan 4, 2022

above> twergi by ettore sottsass

alessi announces the recognition of four key projects designed by as many prominent figures of the international design scene in the 2021 good design® awards: with twergi by ettore sottsass, 100% make-up proust by alessandro mendini, plissé by michele de lucchi and sweetheart by jim hannon-tan

above> designed by michele de lucchi plissé collection features an electric kettle, a blender, a hand blender, a toaster, and a citrus juicer. the refined design of these small kitchen appliances perfectly embodies the alessi essence of objects conveying art and poetry, functionality paired to sophisticated aesthetical research that heightens them to domestic sculptures. echoing the fifties and sixties fashion, plissé collection covers with pleats and folds domestic objects, transforming them into contemporary objects to exhibit in all kitchen environments as modern sculptures.

above> designed by jim hannon-tan sweetheart is a nutcracker inspired by the tale of the australian crocodile carrying the same name. at nearly 6 meters in length, sweetheart had a curious penchant for attacking outboard motor propellers. in 1979 he accidentally drowned by getting tangled in a net; his stuffed remains are preserved in a museum. inspired by a late-victorian model, this nutcracker is a tribute to australian wildlife. made of cast aluminum, it is a resistant and practical object to use, suitable for opening all types of dried fruit.

above> part of the alessi 100 values collection too, 100% make-up proust designed by alessandro mendini celebrates art as a crucial component in making design, and as an intrinsic and signifying value of alessi products. an extraordinary object originally crafted in two pieces for a show in bonn in 2000 whose title was “italy-germany 4:3. fifty years of italian and german design”, now re-edited in a numbered edition of 999 pieces. the vase ideally joins the collection coordinated by alessandro mendini in 1992, titled “100% make up”, which saw 100 authors, hailing from diverse creative fields, imagine a personal decoration for the same vase designed by the designer himself. this charming object provides a new interpretation of a pattern dear to mendini, born during a trip to france in the places where the writer marcel proust lived.

above> created in 1989 with the hope of revitalizing the ancient tradition of wood turning, at the beginning of 2021 the collection twergi by ettore sottsass has been relaunched with a new color palette as part of the 100 values collection that celebrates alessi anniversary. the collection includes jars, a corkscrew, a table centerpiece and salt, pepper, and spice grinders. these are must-have objects interpreted by sottsass with his distinctive signature juxtaposition of colorful overlapping shapes, typical of his poetic vision. all the pieces are made in italy with a semi-artisanal wood turning process in compliance with strict environmental, social, and economic standards.

now in its 71st edition, [ good design ] is one of the most prestigious and recognized design awards in the world, conferred annually by the chicago athenaeum museum of architecture and design in collaboration with the european center for architecture, art, design and urban studies and metropolitan arts press, ltd. founded in chicago in 1950 by architects eero saarinen, charles and ray eames and edgar kaufmann jr., the good design® prize is awarded evaluating over 900 design, graphics, and packaging projects from more than 48 countries, based on criteria such as innovation, sustainability, creativity, branding, shape, functionality, materials used, usefulness and aesthetics.

a serendipitous moment via moholy-nagy chicago design archive and designer steve liska .

Oct 17, 2017

above> sculpture class in school of design / 610 fairbanks chicago / c 1940

serendipity: the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for…
this article intends to provoke an ongoing conversation re chicago’s design history. let’s begin with a philosophy of “one must look back to move forward” and with elements necessary to this narrative — in chronological order… bauhaus movement, lászló moholy-nagy, new bauhaus in chicago, the chicago design archive, and chicago designer steve liska. an aside, this year, iit institute of design is celebrating the 80th anniversary of its founding as the new bauhaus.

[ bauhaus movement /// weimar/dessau germany ] the historical bauhaus is the most influential educational establishment in the fields of architecture, art and design. founded 1919 in weimar germany by architect walter gropius as a school that combined crafts and the fine arts, it was famous for an approach to design which it publicized and taught. the school closed in 1933 when the nazis came to power in germany.

the bauhaus can still be felt today, essentially characterizing the image of german design abroad. architects, designers and artists associated with the bauhaus include: alvar aalto, josef albers, herbert bayer, charles and ray eames, eileen gray, johannes itten, walter jacobsen, wassily kandinsky, paul klee, le corbusier, laszlo moholy-nagy, george nelson, isamu noguchi, eero saarinen, frank lloyd wright and mies van der rohe.

above> in 1907 belgian architect henry van de velde founded the school of arts and crafts in weimar germany / 1919 he invites walter gropius to move in who starts the state bauhaus

[ lászló moholy-nagy, a new bauhaus school /// chicago usa ] also known as moholy – a hungarian experimental artist, modernist, and former faculty at the parent bauhaus in dessau comes to chicago. in 1937, at the invitation of walter paepcke, the chairman of the container corporation of america, moholy-nagy, moved to chicago to become the director of the new bauhaus. the philosophy of the school was basically unchanged from that of the original.

unfortunately, the school lost its financial backing and it closed in 1938. paepcke continued his own support and in 1939, moholy-nagy opened the school of design. in 1944, the school became the institute of design. earlier in 1939, the institute of design became a part of illinois institute of technology and became the first institution in the united states to offer a phd in design.

below> moholy-nagy on the balcony of the prellerhaus in dessau / 1927 / courtesy of the metropolitan museum of art

[ the chicago design archive and chicago designer steve liska ] liska shares his thoughts with DesignApplause upon discovering his new office was once the home of moholy’s school…

[designapplause] for the past 30 years you have managed to create wonderful office spaces for yourself. your current space may be your best. how did you arrive at this location?

[steve liska] our lease was up, was grumbling about it to a client that just developed the 600 north fairbanks helmut jahn building. he said he had a tenant (the pritzker military library) moving out of his building and i should take a look. it was slightly scary.

[DA] what is your vision of your office spaces? what is your office supposed to do?

[SL] as brand designers- communication is critical. so have always appreciated an open, flexible, collaborative office. our office supports us and gives us a neutral environment to share ideas. and has good coffee.

[DA] what was involved / how did you arrive at the finished presentation of your space?

[SL] the building is almost 100 years old, very solid and concrete loft-like. my friends at gary lee partners helped us plan for all the previous tenant demo- we removed walls, office and lots of strange old equipment. then they helped configure the space, basically made it happen.

[DA] tell us about some back stories to this building.

[SL] it was built almost a 100 years ago as a bakery (the horn and hardart automat company). it has been a us post office, housed hugh hefner’s first playboy office, the chez paree nightclub in the 50s, home to joe sedelmaier, shel silverstein, dingbat’s disco (mr. t!) and of course the school of design. lots of history, stories and a few cool ghosts.

[DA] what did you know and what did you learn about moholy?

[SL] it took a while to learn about the school and moholy-nagy from our new landlord, but once we did- we were fanatics. he actually taught in what is now our space. we have a great old photo of a sculpture class in our office from the late 40s. i have always been a fan of everyone from the bauhaus, but the more i researched moholy-nagy – the more obsessed i became. such a renaissance man.

[DA] tell us about the facade presentation.

[SL] many years ago the building’s owners hired an artist to decorate the front of the building with a huge mural of moses. not sure why moses, but it was quirky and interesting. the building was undergoing surface repair- so moses was going to be painted over. we talked to our landlord about replacing it with something related to moholy-nagy and the school of design. we eventually found a little 2 1/4 inch square photo at moma that we thought was a good evolution from moses. our landlord agreed- they ended up hiring the same artist to paint the mural based on that photo. a year later- the traveling moholy-nagy show was announced.

the best part is watching all the tourists who take photos from across the street. they don’t exactly know what the mural is all about- and that is good.

[DA] is this your final location in a perfect world?

[SL] no that would be costa rica or paris. but for now- this is pretty good.

[DA] as long as we have you, what kind of things are you working on?

[SL] a lot of real estate work, some educational institution branding, and ongoing work for a lot of existing clients. (liska.com)

[DA] i’ve been to your offices many times and we have run into each other pitching work. i don’t recall you wearing anything but a white shirt and tie. and now that you’ve aged a bit you remind me of the design community in the late 60s early 70s. very serious looking. thoughts?

[SL] i’m glad you think i am serious looking. like most things in fashion- it comes back over and over again. i count on that. i do own 2 blue shirts. seriously.

[DA] want to say something we haven’t talked about?

[SL] no, done for now. have to go pick out tomorrow’s tie.

above> liska’s office on 610 north fairbanks today / a mural of moholy over the entrance

the chicago design archive (2002-present), is a permanent and exclusive online record of chicago-related experiential, graphic and product design. the mission statement is simple – to share the best of chicago design. originally hosting only graphic design, experiential and product design work is now being collected. the cda founding board recently added a graphic design advisory and a curatorial board. it goes without saying that this dedicated team feels the burden of preserving and growing the cda, afterall, it’s only chicago’s design heritage. we asked advisor, steve liska, if we could meet at his office. entering his office building we all notice the plaque below. we didn’t know…

above> steve liska

{ bauhaus dessau ] [ bauhaus movement ] [ moholy-nagy chicago design archive ] [the charnel-house / moholy-nagy ] [ liska + associates ]

below> video trailer of ‘moholy-nagy: future present’ produced by and exhibited in chicago in 2016. other usa venues included the guggenheim, and most recently lacma

design episodes: the modern chair. the art institute of chicago.

Apr 22, 2016

above> small diamond chair | harry bertoia | knoll | 1952

design episodes: the modern chair / the art institute of chicago
thru 11 september 2016

introducing the first episode of this series of installations are co-curators alison fisher and karen kice. the modern chair focuses on a piece of furniture that has captivated the popular imagination like no other. beginning in the machine age with the promise of industrial production, chair design took off in new directions dynamically engaged with contemporary forms. furniture design moved out of the realms of the carpenter and the decorator as architects and industrial designers took on the chair as a problem of engineering, materials research, and the scientific study of the human body. with this new attitude, one of the most important drivers of modern chair design became new materials—from tubular steel in 1920s europe to the later largely american development of plywood and fiberglass chairs. this exhibition presents iconic examples from throughout the 20th century by makers including le corbusier and charlotte perriand, harry bertoia, and charles and ray eames, all of whose work contributed to the evolution of a new, modern ideal.

in the fall of 2017, the art institute of chicago will debut the museum’s first permanent installation dedicated to 20th- and 21st-century architecture and design. in the months leading up to this major display on the second floor of the modern wing, the space will feature a series of three mini-exhibitions showcasing different aspects of the museum’s design holdings—from an exploration of the modern chair to a look at different expressions of postmodernism to a celebration of typography in graphic design. tying the three installments together is an installation design by amir berbic for the galleries and the windows facing onto griffin court.

the exhibition is made possible by the generous support of the architecture & design society and john h. and neville bryan.

below> red blue chair | gerrit rietveld | g.a. van de groenekan | c. 1955

small diamond chair | harry bertoia | knoll | 1952

design / 23 oct 2014 11a cst. wright.

Oct 15, 2014

above> rare bowl chair | lina bo bardi | 1951

auction > 23 oct 2014 | 11a CST

This October Wright presents an exciting selection of modern works by some of the 20th century’s most renowned designers including notable works by Alexander Girard, Paul Evans, Gio Ponti and Ettore Sottsass, to name a few. Single owner collections stand prominently in this auction with remarkable works from the design collection of the pioneering dealers, Full House and an exceptional group of ESUs by Charles and Ray Eames from the original owner. Finally, the sale features more than twenty lots designed by Tommi Parzinger for the Appleman Commission in 1956. Parzinger thoughtfully designed every detail of the Appleman interior and the collection includes lighting, tables, and seating along with specially designed door hardware and construction drawings from the project.

prototype scarica elettrica table lamp | lapo binazzi | 1973 / 1985

chair from the mobili nella valle series | mario ceroli | poltronova | 1972

faceted cabinet | paul evans | paul evans studio | 1965

rare daybed | kho liang ie | artifort | c. 1959 / 1960

muren ljusblå flatweave carpet | marianne richter | märta måås- fjetter- ström | 1971

dining set | warren platner | knoll | 1966

pair of committe armchairs | pierre jeanneret | c. 1953

sasso vase | antonio da ros | cenedese | 1959

svincolo lamp from the bauhaus collection | ettore sottsass | studio alchimia | 1979

[ design ] includes nearly 250 works of exceptional design. Each item will be featured in our award-winning, full-color auction catalog as well as presented in our online preview at [ View lots ] | 1440 West Hubbard Street Chicago | 312 563 0020
[ auction / chicago ] preview / chicago || 16 – 23 October 2014 | 10a > 5p monday > saturday | sunday by appointment

auction > 23 oct 2014 | 11a CST

queens museum: a legacy of two world fairs.

Apr 30, 2014

The newly renovated Queens museum offers up the legacy of two worlds fairs, in 1939-40 and 1964-5, that placed design and designers central. In 1939 it was Norman Bel Geddes, Henry Dreyfuss, Raymond Loewy and others. In 1964 it was Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen, and George Nelson. The Museums’ worlds fair collection is held in open storage—an excellent mode of display for design fans, best known to me through a Luce Foundation program that has set up open storage at the Met, the Smithsonian Art Museum and the Brooklyn Museum. [ nytimes 2001 archive ]

The [ Queens Museum ] has received many visitors this week, the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the 1964 fair. Another legacy of the fair in the museum is the great Panorama of the City of New York: a huge scale model of the city, exact to every building. The museum has been renovated. In 1939, it served as the New York state pavilion. The work of the U.S. branch of Grimshaw, the new design adds a glass façade to the original Doric fluting unrolled to become ornamental. The architects have opened the building with glass and brought in the park beyond. The central space features an elaborate light reflector system.

Inside, the design includes small, thoughtful details. Tiny windows at child height offer secret views into the New York City Panorama. A play area with toys is set up by the stairs for harried parents dealing with multiple ages and multiple distractions of their children. The base of the stairs—a big of a structural show-off–echoes the base of the Unisphere, the giant globe theme structure of the fair, seen through glass wall.

about phil patton

Why. Herman miller.

Jul 19, 2013

Committed to sharing the stories behind their designs, Herman Miller launches WHY, a digital platform for brand journalism and exclusive content. For the launch, Herman Miller collaborates with Dutch illustrator and animator Christian Borstlap in whittling down 108 years of Herman Miller design history into 108 seconds.

[ mission statement ] At Herman Miller we think, learn, and communicate through design. It is the language with which we share new ideas and address the problems people face. Before we decide what we do and how we do it, we must first ask “why?” It is in this spirit of inquiry that we approach the stories we tell on WHY. For us, design is never just about a finished product. It is a narrative that extends from the designer’s vision to the people it touches and places it transforms. With WHY, we invite you to discover why we do what we do at Herman Miller. [ why ]

Mass modern auction. Wright.

Jul 8, 2013

[ preview ] 8 > 12 july 10am > 5pm
[ extended preview ] thursday 11 july 5 > 8pm
[ auction ] 13 july 2013 | 10am CST
[ wright ] 1440 west hubbard chicago | T 312 563 0020

June 2013 calendar. A+D museum.

Jun 3, 2013

photo: eames house

if in los angeles in june, you’re invited to join the curator’s tour. one of which is salon #3 / the meadow house at the eames house. [ details ] [ eames house ]

The masters: jean nouvel project. Milan 2013.

Apr 28, 2013

French designer Jean Nouvel tells an intriguing story with his Office for Living Project. 30 years from now if we look back at today’s office we will be stunned to find them — unlivable. In this installation there are several components. One is ‘il maestro’ a tribute to the masters amid a rejection of corporate environments.

standard desk, metropole chair n 308 | jean prouvé | 1943/50