All Photos By Gail
Different designer’s experiments with new materials have marked important, turning points in the history of design. Gaetano Pesce never stopped experimenting with them – in particular with residence. As one could infer fro its name, 1984’s Pratt Chair (3) is one of nine he produced as part of a project for the Pratt Institute, are renowned art, and design school in New York. Continue reading Eye On Design: Gaetano Pesce Pratt Chair (3)
All Photos By Gail
Jean Dubuffet’s Study for Tower with Figures (1968), standing nearly ten feet tall, makes a striking statement when encountered outdoors; its painted polyurethane on epoxy facade, bold black outlines and puzzle-like shapes making it instantly recognizable as part of Dubuffet’s famous Hourloupe cycle.
At first glance, it looks playful — almost cartoonish. Tangled forms, bulbous limbs, and abstracted faces interlock like a jigsaw puzzle sprung to life. But beneath the humor lies Dubuffet’s serious artistic mission: to challenge the polish of modernity and instead celebrate the raw, the provisional, and the imperfect. Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: Jean Dubuffet Study for Tower with Figures
Photo By Gail
In 1961, artist George Siegel began using a recently released Johnson & Johnson product – gauze bandages, pre-treated with dry plaster – to make full-body plaster casts of family and friends. He combined these unpainted, lifelike figures with found object from every day life. Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: George Segal Portrait of Sidney Janis With Mondrian Painting
All Photos By Gail
Named after Blanche Dubois, the self-deluded protagonist of Tennessee Williams’ 1947 play A Streetcar Named Desire, Shiro Kumata‘s Miss Blanche Chair (1988) is an icon of postmodern design. Kamata originally experimented with embedding natural roses in the chair, but the flowers burned in the acrylic resin, so he instead used artificial flowers. Continue reading Eye On Design: Miss Blanche Chair By Shiro Kuramata
Photos By Gail
This week we are having a serious Design Flashback as we feature the truly iconic Blow inflatable hair. way back in 1967, long before TikTok and IKEA hacks took over our interiors, the Blow Chair literally burst onto the scene. Designed by Italian architects Jonathan De Pas, Donato D’Urbino, and Paolo Lomazzi, this cheeky piece of pop design was the world’s first mass-produced inflatable chair, and it had zero interest in blending in. Continue reading Eye On Design: The Blow Inflatable Armchair