Marcel Breuer at RISD

One of the best shows of 2009





















From my review of "Marcel Breuer: Design and Architecture" at the RISD Museum:

It is one of the icons of 20th-century design. What distinguishes Marcel Breuer's "B34" armchair from 1928 is its materials (fabric seats slung between steel tubing) and the lack of rear legs. The chair levitates on a continuous line of metal — from the runners, up the legs to the armrests, which in turn support a loop of tubing that forms the seat and back. It's the epitome of stripped-down elegant machine-age Modernist cool.

So begins "Marcel Breuer: Design and Architecture," on view at the RISD Museum (224 Benefit Street, Providence, from April 17 to July 19). Organized by Vitra Design Museum in Germany, it marshals furniture, photos, brochures, architectural models, video, and pull-out architectural plans to beautifully, clearly, dashingly enumerate the ideas and development of one of the most influential designers of the past century. It is one of the best shows you'll see in New England this year.

Read the rest here.

"Marcel Breuer: Design and Architecture," RISD Museum, 224 Benefit Street, Providence, April 17 to July 19, 2009.