6/11/08 (9:40 p.m.) This month the High will present “Face
Offs: Decorative Arts and Design,” showcasing recent contemporary decorative
arts acquisitions paired with similar works from earlier art-historical
periods from the permanent collection. On view from June 21 through November
23, 2008, the eight works on display include the debut of two major
commissions from Dutch Droog Design collective artists Jurgen Bey and Tejo
Remy, “Treetrunk Bench High Table” and “You Can’t Lay Down Your Memory” Chest
of Drawers, both of which draw upon local sources for materials. The old and
the new are juxtaposed in dialogue with one another through similarities and
differences in shape, form, materials, utility, manufacture and prevailing
tastes. “Our newest acquisitions represent some of
the most important designs from the late 20th and early 21st centuries,” said
Ron T. Labaco, the High’s Curator of Decorative Arts. “Shown in the context of
masterworks from other eras, they help illustrate the cycle of innovation,
tradition and cross-fertilization that has recurred throughout decorative arts
and design history. It will be interesting to see what aspects of these new
designs will influence the look and feel of the future.”
Comparative examples include Ron Arad’s molded and woven
aluminum “Blo-Void 1 Chair” (2006) and Gebrüder Thonet’s bentwood and woven
cane “Rocking Chair” (ca. 1885), Tejo Remy’s haphazard “You Can’t Lay Down
Your Memory” Chest of Drawers (2008), Charles and Ray Eames’ geometrically
structured “ESU (Eames Storage Unit)” (1953–1955), South Carolina potter Mark
Hewitt’s massive “That’s What I’m Talking About!” Vase (2007) and English
ceramics manufacturers John and William Turner’s monumental “Punch Bowl”
(1800–1810).
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