STAND NUMBER: F1
The American Chair: 250 Years of Form
To celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, this exhibition traces the nation’s unfolding history through an unexpected yet revealing lens: the evolution of chair design. Beginning with the artisanry and symbolism of the18th-century—from simple turned ladderbacks to refined baroque and rococo designs popularized by Chippendale—the narrative follows how chairs reflect shifting ideals, materials, and technologies across the centuries. Each era’s designs, from Shaker ingenuity to industrial-era innovation to modernist experimentation, illuminate broader cultural transformations: changing notions of comfort and status, advances in manufacturing, and the emergence of uniquely American aesthetics. By bringing together iconic examples across 250 years, the exhibition invites visitors to consider how a single, everyday object can mirror the nation’s progress, diversity, and creative spirit. In collaboration with Alexandra Kirtley, the Montgomery-Garvan Curator of American Decorative Arts, Philadelphia Museum of Art Geoffrey Diner Gallery Hirschl & Adler Galleries Levy Galleries Arthur Liverant & Son Maison Gerard MillerKnoll Preservation Long Island Private Collector - c/o David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles Vitra
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