In 1987 I stumbled upon a Wiener Werkstatte exhibit at the MOMA. It was a defining moment in the formation of my appreciation for style. I had no expectations for what I was about to see; we were just going to the museum for the day. It seems that a lot of life’s best experiences happen when you have no expectations. This exhibit of the objects and artwork from the Vienna workshops of the Art Nouveau, and then Art Deco periods clanged into my head as a revelation. There were beautiful organic forms (think Lalique) and crisply balanced strict lines (think Frank Lloyd Wright). There was
even form with function. I drank it all in. It revealed to me the labels, time
periods, and pioneering artists for the designs I had been subconsciously
craving. Now I knew what to look for. And I do look for it. Unfortunately
it isn’t usually nearby. When I was in Vienna, I headed to the MAK (Museum of Applied Arts) which has acquired the complete archive of the Wiener Werkstatte. I caught a Charles Rennie Mackintosh exhibit at the Met a couple years ago. The National Gallery of Art is currently hosting a major Art Nouveau
exhibit that has been in the Victoria and Albert museum in London. It
has a wide selection of items, including that famous Paris subway
entrance. They created a web site describing the creation of the exhibit (via Yahoo Weekly Picks).