 | |
| Industry | Furniture |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1984 |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Products | Modern furniture |
| Website | modernegallery |
Moderne Gallery is an American art and design gallery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that focuses on art and furniture from the American studio craft movement of the 20th century. Moderne Gallery maintains a large collection of ceramics, woodwork, woodturning, glass, and metalwork.
The gallery was founded in 1984 by Robert Aibel. Initially, Moderne was focused on French Art Deco work, but In 1985, the gallery pivoted to focusing on artwork and furniture from the Studio craft movement after selling a dining table and chair set created by George Nakashima. Shortly thereafter Moderne became the first gallery to start promoting Nakashima's work. [1] Moderne Gallery is considered an instrumental organization in making George Nakashima a more recognizable artist of 20th century modern design. [2]
Along with other art studios and local collectors, Moderne Gallery launched a pop-up exhibition and design showroom. The exhibit was held in 2016 around the New Kensington arts district. [3]
In 2022, Moderne Gallery was listed as one of the best furniture stores in Philadelphia by The Philadelphia Inquirer. [4]
Moderne Gallery had its studio in Old City, Philadelphia from 1984 to 2018. In 2019, Moderne Gallery moved to a 4,500 square foot gallery in Port Richmond, Philadelphia. [5]
Moderne Gallery is considered a leading Nakashima dealer and has organized several exhibits for the artist. [6] Moderne also showcases art and woodwork by Nakashima's daughter, Mira Nakashima. [7]
Other artists Moderne Gallery promotes:
Ettore Sottsass was a 20th-century Italian architect from the twentieth century. He was notable for his furniture, jewellery, glass, lighting, home and office ware designs as well as numerous buildings and interiors, often defined by bold colours.
George Katsutoshi Nakashima was an American woodworker, architect, and furniture maker who was one of the leading innovators of 20th century furniture design and a father of the American craft movement. In 1983, he accepted the Order of the Sacred Treasure, an honor bestowed by the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese government.
Studio pottery is pottery made by professional and amateur artists or artisans working alone or in small groups, making unique items or short runs. Typically, all stages of manufacture are carried out by the artists themselves. Studio pottery includes functional wares such as tableware and cookware, and non-functional wares such as sculpture, with vases and bowls covering the middle ground, often being used only for display. Studio potters can be referred to as ceramic artists, ceramists, ceramicists or as an artist who uses clay as a medium.
American craft is craft work produced by independent studio artists working with traditional craft materials and processes. Examples include wood, glass, clay (ceramics), textiles, and metal (metalworking). Studio craft works tend to either serve or allude to a functional or utilitarian purpose, although they are just as often handled and exhibited in ways similar to visual art objects.
Wendell Castle was an American sculptor and furniture maker and an important figure in late 20th century American craft. He has been referred to as the "father of the art furniture movement" and included in the "Big 4" of modern woodworking with Wharton Esherick, George Nakashima, and Sam Maloof.
The Michener Art Museum is a private, non-profit museum that is located in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1988, it was named for the Pulitzer Prize–winning writer James A. Michener, a Doylestown resident.
Wharton Esherick was an American sculptor who worked primarily in wood, especially applying the principles of sculpture to common utilitarian objects. Consequently, he is best known for his sculptural furniture and furnishings. Esherick was recognized in his lifetime by his peers as the “dean of American craftsmen” for his leadership in developing nontraditional designs and for encouraging and inspiring artists and artisans by example. Esherick’s influence is evident in the work of contemporary artisans, particularly in the Studio Craft Movement. His home and studio in Malvern, Pennsylvania, are part of the Wharton Esherick Museum, which has been listed as a National Historic Landmark since 1993.
Paul R. Evans II, known as Paul Evans, was an American-born furniture designer, sculptor, and artist, who is famous for his contributions to American furniture design and the American Craft movement of the 1970s, and with his work with the influential American manufacturer Directional Furniture. His creation of metal-sculpted furniture set him apart. He studied at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, settled in New Hope, Pennsylvania, and, for a time, shared a showroom there with woodworker Phillip Lloyd Powell.
Roy McMakin is a San Diego–based artist, designer, furniture maker, and architect.
The George Nakashima House, Studio and Workshop is a historic artist's compound at 1847 and 1858 Aquetong Rd. in Solebury Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The compound consists of houses and studio buildings designed and built by artist George Nakashima (1905-1990), which served as family homes and as his studio space. The studio-related buildings are open to the public for tours; the houses of the compound continue to serve as residences of the Nakashima family. In April 2014 it was also designated a National Historic Landmark. The site was listed on the World Monument Fund's 2014 Endangered Sites Watchlist.
Live edge or natural edge is a style of furniture where the furniture designer or craftsperson incorporates the natural edge of the wood into the design of the piece. Live edge furniture often incorporates gnarly wood, such as Alligator Juniper, mesquite, Vachellia nilotica and salvaged wood that could not be used in conventional woodworking. There are special challenges involved in working with this type of wood, and several methods for live edge have developed. Some leave the natural holes and cracks in the wood while other artists fill them with resins.
Jerome Ackerman (1920–2019) and Evelyn Ackerman (1924–2012) were American industrial designers who jointly contributed to the aesthetic of California mid-century modern with their ceramics, wood carvings, mosaics, textiles, and enamels in home furnishings and architectural elements. The Ackermans sold their products through their companies Jenev and ERA Industries. Evelyn was an accomplished artist and an author of books on antique toys and dolls.
Rosanne Somerson is an American-born woodworker, furniture designer/maker, educator, and former President of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). An artist connected with the early years of the Studio Furniture, her work and career have been influential to the field.
Arthur Espenet Carpenter was a master woodworker and furniture maker in Bolinas, California known for his wishbone chair and desk with scalloped seashell sides. Self-taught, he joined the Baulines Craft Guild. He also taught had apprentices. His work is in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution and has been exhibited in The Museum of Modern Art and The Museum of Arts and Design in New York. He was declared a “living California treasure” in 1984. He received The Furniture Society's Award of Distinction in 2001.
Craft in America, Inc. is an American arts nonprofit organization known for its television series, also titled "Craft in America", which showcases the world of craftsmanship across the United States.
Emil Milan was an American woodworker known for his carved bowls, birds, and other accessories and art in wood. Trained as a sculptor at the Art Students League of New York, he designed and made wooden ware in the New York City metropolitan area, and later in rural Pennsylvania where he lived alone and used his barn as a workshop. Participating in many woodworking, craft, and design exhibits of his day, his works are in the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery, the Yale Art Gallery, the Center for Art in Wood, the Museum of Art and Design, and many private collections. Once prominent in midcentury modern design, Milan slipped into obscurity after his death. His legacy has been revived by an extensive biographical research project that has led to renewed interest in his life, work, and influence.
Norm Sartorius is an American woodworker who carves fine art spoons in many styles including natural, biomorphic, abstract, symbolic, ethnic, and ceremonial. His works are in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery, the Yale University Art Gallery, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and other public and private collections. He is a frequent participant in woodworking and craft shows in America, and won the Award of Excellence in Wood at the 2015 American Craft Council show in Baltimore and the 2015 Smithsonian Craft Show in Washington, DC. Since 2008, he has co-directed a grant-funded research project on the life, work, and legacy of American woodworker Emil Milan.
Mira Nakashima-Yarnall is an architect and furniture maker. She is the daughter of George Nakashima and is now the President and Creative Director for George Nakashima, Woodworker.
The Altars for Peace are a series of wooden tables conceived by George Nakashima. Several altars have been placed around the world, beginning with one in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in 1986. Others are located in Russia, India, and South Africa.
The School for American Crafts was founded by Aileen Osborn Webb and the American Craftsmen's Council (ACC) in the 1940s. It sought to provide training in traditional crafts and "to develop and raise the standards of the hand arts in the United States."