Conversations
Glass Houses by Design Legends
December 2019 Sotheby's No other American house of the mid-century years had come to capture the fantasy of living in transparent glass as the three iconic houses which will be celebrated here this evening: The Farnsworth House; the Glass House; and the Walker Guest House. Constructed within two years of each other, between 1949 and 1951, and designed by design legends, these are among the most admired, influential and memorable homes of 20th-century architecture. Each marked extraordinary moments in the careers and legacies of their respective architects; Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Philip Johnson and Paul Rudolph. They created these masterpieces of modernism in very different moments in their careers. |
On Taste, Design, and Influence
With David Gill November 2018 Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum David Gill is one of the most influential tastemakers in the global world of collectible contemporary design. He has been instrumental in formulating that market, and in establishing the movement which promotes the notion that design is beyond its functionality, that design equals to art. But David's London gallery is much more than a magical Temple of Design, or a Jewel box showcasing dazzling objects of the ultimate refinement. It is also more than a hub of the avant-garde. David Gill Gallery is where we learn about the intellect of design. |
Joseph Walsh: Crafting the Contemporary
Joseph Walsh is an Irish master maker and furniture designer of international acclaim, who has formulated a unique and personal language based on the art of bending and laminating ash and other indigenous timber, reflecting his heritage. This panel positioned Walsh, who has exhibited internationally, and whose work is included in collections of many major museums, within the fabric of contemporary design and within that of Irish design and heritage. Panelists included Joseph Walsh, furniture designer; Jennifer Goff, curator of furniture, silver, and the Eileen Gray Collection at the National Museum of Ireland, and Visiting Fulbright Scholar and NYSID Instructor; and Glenn Adamson, design curator and scholar. The discussion was moderated by Daniella Ohad, design historian. |
Eileen Gray: Why Now?
Eileen Gray, the Irish-born designer who was active in France during the 1910s and ‘20s, is considered one of the more talented figures in the history of modern design. She was the first European artist to adapt Asian lacquer techniques to furniture, a talented interior designer, and an avant-gardist whose house E1027, built in the French Riviera, is considered a masterpiece of Modernist domestic architecture. In this panel discussion — which includes Cloé Pitiot, curator at Centre Pompidou in Paris; Jennifer Goff, curator at the National Museum of Ireland; and Sandra Gering, founder of the Friends of E1027 — design historian and educator Daniella Ohad moderates and asks the question: “Eileen Gray: Why Now?” |