R & Company sets the table in new show on dining furniture

dining chairs by Erwine and Estelle Laverne
Superstudio’s ‘O-Look’ hanging lamp with an Oscar Niemeyer table and ‘Champagne’ dining chairs by Erwine and Estelle Laverne.
(Image credit: Courtesy R & Company)

Much like dinnertime brings families together, R & Company gallery’s newest exhibition ‘Dinner’, located on the lower level of the gallery’s 64 White Street location in Tribeca, brings together a collection of dining furniture from the 1940s to the present, to celebrate the tradition of dining.

On view until 18 June, the show is a curated medley of seating, tables, objects and lighting presented as seven unique table settings. ‘We are always looking for interesting ways to combine works,’ says R & Company’s co-founder and creative director Even Snyderman. ‘We love putting together designers that you wouldn't think necessarily go together.’

In one corner of the space, a brushed stainless-steel table by Oscar Niemeyer is surrounded by 1957 Erwin and Estelle Laverne ‘Champagne’ dining chairs. The unlikely pairing is crowned by an even less expected piece: the ‘O-Look’ hanging lamp, designed by radical design group Superstudio. The thinking behind this setting was a ‘60s, 70s chic vibe,’ explains Snyderman.

Dinner exhibition in New York

‘Evelyn’ Hex stools and ‘Young Willing & Table’ by The Haas Brothers

(Image credit: R & Company)

Close by, the dialogue between pieces seems more pronounced as Jeff Zimmerman’s black illuminated sculpture is reflected in the piece below it – a six-sided table with a yellow under-painted glass top, by Joaquim Tenreiro.

Zimmerman’s handblown pieces feature elsewhere too, most strikingly ‘Coral Cluster’ – a translucent white lamp hanging from the gallery’s three-story high ceiling. The 40 ft atrium plays host to two more dramatically drapped chandeliers: a whimsical illuminated sculpture by Katie Stout and a poured polyurethane lamp by Christian Wassmann. The latter complements a Haas Brothers-designed dining table in hand-carved walnut and brass hex tile stools. ‘I love to mix things up,’ says Snyderman.

We love putting together designers that you wouldn’t think necessarily go together.

‘Dinner’ runs concurrently with exhibition ‘Radical Living’, located on the upper level. The latter is a continued exploration of the gallery’s 2017 show ‘SuperDesign’ and showcases pieces like Joe Colombo’s modular environment ‘Living System Box 1’. While ‘Dinner’ and ‘Radical Living’ aren’t officially related, the two exhibitions are linked by a staircase featuring an archival gallery with paper collages and a poster by Studio 65. This transitional moment acts as a shift from one exhibition to the other.

In the end, ‘Dinner’ appears more unexpected and playful in its curation. As Snyderman puts it: ‘the dinner table is a place for socialisation, but also for experimentation in terms of design’.

Installation view of ‘Dinner’ at R & Company

Installation view of ‘Dinner’

(Image credit: R & Company)

‘Pratone’ lounge chair by Pietro Derossi, Giorgio Ceretti and Riccardo Rosso, part of the ‘Radical Living’ exhibition

‘Pratone’ lounge chair by Pietro Derossi, Giorgio Ceretti and Riccardo Rosso, 1966, part of the ‘Radical Living’ exhibition

(Image credit: R & Company)

INFORMATION

‘Dinner’ is on view until 18 June. For more information, visit the R & Company website

ADDRESS

64 White Street
New York
10013

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