The Architect’s Table: Swid Powell and Postmodern Design

October 4, 2007 · 1 Comment

“THIS SIDE CHAIR by Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi is on display at Yale.”
“A new exhibit…at Yale University Art Gallery….features pieces from the 1984 Swid Powell collection and such later objects as geometric silver candlesticks designed by Robert Venturi, iconic fish-stemmed goblets by Frank Gehry and streamlined teapots by the now-ubiquitous Target icon Michael Graves.”

The Objets D’Art Of Architects ADRIAN BRUNE Hartford Courant 9/21/07

Posted by: Tanya

Categories: Yale Galleries & Museums

1 response so far ↓

Karl Taps // October 16, 2007 at 1:38 am

Swid Powell objects have been included in numerous museum exhibits over the past twenty years; however this is the first exhibit to address the production of the firm in a more comprehensive manner. With the exception of two chairs manufactured by Knoll (Robert Venturi & Richard Meier) all of the about 45 objects presented here were produced for Swid Powell. This compact exhibit is culled from over 200 objects and commemorates the promised gift to Yale of the Swid Powell archives made by the firm’s founder, Nan Swid. In addition to some of the firm’s iconic designs, the exhibit includes prototypes for several designs which ultimately did not make it into production. Also included here are several objects from the rarely seen 1990 “Architects Collection” of elaborate limited edition designs. The exhibit is handsomely installed with Venturi-inspired super-graphics and informative texts. Surprisingly missing from the exhibit are any examples of the many objects designed for the firm by Richard Meier, the most prolific of the Swid Powell architect-designers. Although a more thorough examination of the Swid Powell’s role in the popularization of the post-modern style is still needed, this exhibit presents a thoughtful starting point.

The New Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library:

Over a decade in the planning, the new Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library in the Paul Rudolph Building reflects and meets the changing needs of teaching, research, and learning in the arts at Yale. Arts Library collections and staff, currently housed in a number of buildings across campus including the swing space at 270 Crown Street, will move into the Haas Family Arts Library later this summer in time for the fall semester. The Library will house the collections of the Art + Architecture Library, the Drama Library, and the Arts of the Book Collection, as well as staff and services for the Visual Resources Collection, and will become the physical and intellectual center for the pursuit of research, teaching, learning, and practice of the arts at Yale. The Haas Family Arts Library will feature a variety of spaces for individual study, group study spaces, a large teaching space, and secure reading and teaching spaces for Arts Library special collections. The Special Collections Reading Room, a dramatic feature of the central two-story atrium, enhances interdisciplinary studies by realizing the long-planned consolidation of the many important special collections of the Arts Library, including the Arts of the Book Collection, one of the largest special collections at Yale and one of the most important book arts collections in North America. The Special Collections Exhibit area, which will continuously showcase exhibitions of the Library’s treasures, will feature a plaque recognizing a significant gift from William H. Wright, ’82. More information on Arts Library services during the planned move period will be made available over the coming weeks on the Library's web site: www.library.yale.edu/art/.

~Yale Arts Library Blog~