After several years of dormancy on the gallery circuit, Marc Newson has returned with a bang with the staging of his first solo exhibition stateside at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Presented at the museum's Perelman Building, 'Marc Newson: At Home' brings together a comprehensive array of Newson's best known, one-off and hypothetical creations in a domestic setting.
Laid out like rooms in a home, the exhibition has rounded up pieces from Europe, Asia and Marc Newson's own collection that date across the last thirty years. In the kitchen, the Australian designer's iconic 'Dish Doctor' dish rack for Magis (1998) stands opposite his Strelka cutlery set for Alessi (2001) and his porcelain in-flight service for Qantas Airlines' A380 (2008). In the bedroom, the Bumper bed (2013), finally produced by luxury craftsmen Domeau & Peres, is flanked by a rail of colourful clothing from the designer's collaboration with G-Star, each hanging on an orange 'Hercules' coat hanger (1997), and a rare version of the Black Hole Chop Top desk (1993), which fetched £99,650 at auction in 2011.
The garage offers a rare view of two prototypes - a concept car for Ford and his MN Bicycle for the Danish biking company, Biomega, which both reveal Newson's futuristic view of technology despite the fact that they were designed in 1999.
'The show tries to balance Marc Newson's iconic works with lesser-known pieces, all in the context of the domestic interiors we've created,' explained the show's curator Kathryn Hiesinger. '[Newson's] use of simple continuous silhouettes allows the viewer and user to understand the object at a glance, while bright colours, unusual materials and technical processes enrich the visual experience.'
In each room, Newson's fluid, ergonomic style manifests itself in various forms. His limited-edition pieces such as the aluminum and steel 'Lockheed Lounge' chaise (1985) and the futuristic 'Diode Floor Lamp' (2007), are thrillingly un-restrained, and while his Pentax K-01 camera (2012) and 'Scope' luggage range for Samsonite (2004) are much more commercial, they are directional and impactful all the same. It is this inspired versatility to tackle objects both big and small that makes Newson a true icon and this show is a worthy summation of his career to date.
The show features the Australian-born designer's 'Lockheed Lounge' (1988) made from riveted aluminium, fibreglass, rubberised paint.
Laid out like rooms in a home, the exhibition has rounded up pieces from Europe, Asia and Marc Newson's own collection that date across the last thirty years
The Corian and aluminum 'Diode Floor Lamp' (2007). Courtesy of Gagosian Gallery
Newson's 'Bunky Bunk Bed' (2011) is made from rotationally moulded polyethylene plastic.
His 'Nimrod Chair' (1998‑2002) is composed of blow moulded plastic, polyurethane foam, and wool or leather fabric.
In the kitchen, the designer's iconic 'Dish Doctor' dish rack for Magis (1998) stands opposite his Strelka cutlery set for Alessi (2001) and his porcelain in-flight service for Qantas Airlines' A380 (2008)
The yellow 'Gas Stovetop' (2008) is composed of stainless steel with cast iron panstands. Courtesy of Marc Newson Limited
In the bedroom, the Bumper bed (2013), finally produced by luxury craftsmen Domeau & Peres, is flanked by a rail of colourful clothing from the designer's collaboration with G-Star, each hanging on an orange 'Hercules' coat hanger (1997), and a rare version of the Black Hole Chop Top desk (1993), which fetched £99,650 at auction in 2011
A puffa jacket from the industrial designer's 2004 G‑Star clothing collaboration.
In each room (even the bathroom), Newson's fluid, ergonomic style manifests itself in various forms
Even the garage offers a rare view of two prototypes - the carbon fibre Ford 021C Concept Car and his MN Bicycle for the Danish biking company, Biomega, both designed in 1999
ADDRESS
Philadelphia Museum of Art
2600 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy
Philadelphia
PA 19130
-
Extreme Cashmere reimagines retail with its new Amsterdam store: ‘You want to take your shoes off and stay’Wallpaper* takes a tour of Extreme Cashmere’s new Amsterdam store, a space which reflects the label’s famed hospitality and unconventional approach to knitwear
-
Titanium watches are strong, light and enduring: here are some of the bestBrands including Bremont, Christopher Ward and Grand Seiko are exploring the possibilities of titanium watches
-
Warp Records announces its first event in over a decade at the Barbican‘A Warp Happening,' landing 14 June, is guaranteed to be an epic day out
-
Saul Steinberg: behind the scenes at Triennale Design MuseumTriennale Design Museum and publishing house Electa present ‘Saul Steinberg Milano New York’, a new exhibition (until 13 March 2022) that pays homage to the American artist through 350 works. Join us for a behind-the-scenes peek at it's installation
-
Ten years of Muller Van Severen, at Design Museum GhentA new exhibition by Belgian design duo Muller Van Severen (until 6 March 2022) features a retrospective of the studio’s ten years as well as a curation of pieces from the Design Museum Ghent collections
-
Noguchi show celebrates his reverence for GreeceDesign show ‘Objects of Common Interest: Hard, Soft, and All Lit Up with Nowhere to Go’ opens in collaboration with Wallpaper* Designers of the Year, Objects of Common Interest, at the Noguchi Museum in Queens, New York (until 13 February 2022)
-
‘Design not for children, but for everyone’: Jewish Museum Berlin’s new play spaceOlson Kundig architecture and design practice brings kids’ play space ANOHA Children’s World to life inside a vast former wholesale flower market, at the Jewish Museum Berlin
-
A landscape of playful animals pops up at Design Museum HolonChild-centric designer Sarit Shani Hay presents an imaginary natural landscape that references Ron Arad's Design Museum Holon architecture and is inhabited by soft, cushioned sea lions, seals and bears
-
Charlotte Perriand’s life and work explored at London’s Design MuseumLondon’s Design Museum presents ‘Charlotte Perriand: The Modern Life’, an exhibition turned the spotlight on one of the most iconic creators of the 20th century
-
Meet the Design Museum’s all-female Designers in ResidenceThe multidisciplinary cohort includes Enni-Kukka Tuomala, Abiola Onabule, Cynthia Voza Lusilu and Ioana Man, who developed a series of multidisciplinary projects with the Design Museum, responding to the theme of ‘Care'
-
Campana Brothers look back on 35 years of revolutionary designOn view at modernist Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, ‘Campana Brothers – 35 Revolutions’ is a retrospective of the Brazilian designers’ impactful oeuvre
