Mid-Century Modern May in NYC
If you have a little energy left for design after the almost overwhelming array of activities during Design Week NYC, don't miss Mid-Century Modern May.
Fans of Mid-Century Modern are in luck. Five museums are offering a month long $30 pass to their museums that are featuring art and design from the 50s and 60s. There is still time to take advantage of this deal and no worries if you don’t have time left in May, you can still see the shows as most, continue long after the month ends.
The Paul Rand Exhibit is not to be missed. One of my personal favorites in terms of graphic design. For lovers of Mad Men, who are already missing the show, the Mad Men Exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image features mid century furnishings and clothing from the TV series. Next, the Jewish Heritage Museum is showing the fabulous exhibit Designing Home: Jews and Midcentury Modernism. It explores the contribution — and showcases the work — of a remarkable group of Jewish émigré and American-born designers and architects. How Posters Work at the Cooper Hewitt, posters from the museum's permanent collection, is great and the Museum of Art and Design, Pathmakers: Women in Art Craft and Design, Midcentury and Today is another terrific show. Lastly Revolution of the Eye: Modern Art and the birth of American Television is at the Jewish Museum uptown.
Mid-Century Modern is having a revival in the new millennium. Why?
Perhaps in the age of fast fashion & furniture we yearn for more authenticity. Customers are striving to see a connection between the maker and the product. And they crave quality of endurance and timelessness. At Smilow Design we couldn't agree more
Echoing this analysis of mid-century furniture is an article by Laura Fenton on Why The World Is Obsessed With Midcentury Modern Design.
“True collectors aren’t just snapping up vintage Eames lounge chairs. Rather, they are after one-of-a-kind pieces that have documented history and provenance. The market for these midcentury gems has exploded in the last ten years.
Why does midcentury modern continue to be popular, and why have contemporary retailers and manufacturers embraced its clean-lined look so emphatically? Midcentury pieces are simply well-designed objects, with a timeless look, says Sotheby’s Holdeman. “[Midcentury modern designs] sit very well in contemporary homes and interiors—they still feel fresh today, they still feel modern. A lot of those pieces haven’t been bettered. They still stand the test of time.” The trend toward urban living may also be part of what keeps the midcentury look alive. “The designs were conceived for the smaller post-war home,” says Greenberg, who notes that they were designed to be mobile and lightweight for city residents who moved frequently. “All of that still plays into the way we live today.” …
Here at Smilow Design it makes perfect sense to us: Why the continued interest in mid century design? Because the style and design is simply Enduring Modern and Classic and always will be.