100 works to know now: R & Company curates dynamic exhibition
New York gallery R & Company shows 50 historical and 50 contemporary works by important artists in America. A dynamic snapshot of how design and art intersect today, the exhibition pays tribute to a 1960s show by gallerist Lee Nordness, presented at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC, featuring a diverse group of creatives working at the cusp of art, craft and design
Back in 1969, an exhibition curated by the entrepreneurial gallerist Lee Nordness entitled ‘Objects: USA’ opened at what is now the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC. Bringing together a roster of both established and rising artists who used craft techniques to make art, the seminal survey catapulted figures such as Anni Albers, Sheila Hicks, Wendell Castle and George Nakashima to new heights of recognition that subsequently altered the course of design and art in America.
Now, the similarly pioneering New York gallery R & Company builds upon the foundation laid down all those years ago with ‘Objects: USA 2020’ – an expansive exhibition of design objects and a comprehensive accompanying book that add contemporary names to the original roster, thus continuing the first show’s legacy into the 21st century. With historical objects selected by curator and writer Glenn Adamson and R & Company’s curator and director of museum relations James Zemaitis, the new exhibition balances 50 figures from the original show with 50 contemporary artists, selected by Adamson, gallery co-founder Evan Snyderman, and Object & Thing founder Abby Bangser, to form a dynamic snapshot of how design and art intersect today.
‘We find it compelling to be revisiting ‘Objects: USA’ in 2020 because so many of the same questions around art, craft and design are still in play,’ says Snyderman. ‘As these worlds continue to coincide, where do they converge today? What is the potential of the handmade object? Have we reached a point of true post-disciplinarity in the arts? We may not have all the answers, but we are adding our voices to this dynamic discussion.’
RELATED STORY
With certain parallels between the social and cultural changes happening today and in the late 1960s, R & Company’s aim is to showcase as diverse of a range of work, medium, ethnic background, generation and geography as possible. We see the anthropomorphic clay vessels of California-based Ashwini Bhat, who grew up in southern India, together with the vibrant, highly patterned sculptures of Philadelphia-based artist Roberto Lugo, in the same space as the Pop Art painted ceramics of Hong Kong-born artist Ka Kwong Hui, who immigrated to the United States in 1948, and the geometric chequerboard weaving by Lenore Tawney from 1962.
‘Our approach to the exhibition was inspired by the original – its breadth of coverage,’ says Adamson. ‘For the historical selections, it was really a problem of having too few slots for too many great figures. It’s astonishing how capacious that original “Objects: USA” was and how many of the artists included went on to even greater things. For the contemporary group, we were often looking for direct correspondences: figures of today drawing on Funk ceramics or monumental fibre art, for example. We were also concerned to show the breadth of craft practice today; it really escaped the confines of the studio craft movement per se and became an active force across the disciplines of art and design.’
Installed throughout R & Company’s impressive Tribeca space, the show is also a compelling nod to the gallery’s two decades in business. ‘The energy and creativity of today’s object makers for us parallel what was happening in America when the original “Objects: USA” took place,’ says the gallery’s co-founder Zesty Meyers. ‘We strongly believe our exhibition will inspire a new generation of collectors, curators and most importantly emerging talents to redefine art-making.’
INFORMATION
‘Objects: USA 2020’ is on view until July 2021, r-and-company.com
ADDRESS
R & Company
64 White St
New York
NY 10013
United States
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.
-
Private museum Simple Design Archive is a ‘poetic sound sanctuary’ in China
Simple Design Archive, located in China’s Anhui province, is a private museum by HAS Design and Research, fostering a contemplative environment
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
All hail the arrival of true autonomy? On Tesla’s proposed Robotaxi and techno-insecurity
Tesla’s new marketing push predicts a future of robot cabs, automated buses and autonomous home androids. We already want to get off
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Discothèque perfumes evoke the scent of Tokyo in the year 2000
As Discothèque gets ready to launch its first perfume collection, Mary Cleary catches up with the brand’s founders
By Mary Cleary Published
-
Nendo’s collaborations with Kyoto artisans go on view in New York
‘Nendo sees Kyoto’ is on view at Friedman Benda (until 15 October 2022), showcasing the design studio's collaboration with six artisans specialised in ancient Japanese crafts
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated
-
Italian craftsmanship comes to Los Angeles in this eclectic Venice Canals apartment
Boffi Los Angeles celebrates a juxtaposition of texture throughout a waterside bolthole
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Design Miami/Basel 2022 explores the Golden Age
Design Miami/Basel 2022, led by curatorial director Maria Cristina Didero, offers a positive spin after the unprecedented times of the pandemic, and looks at the history and spirit of design
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated
-
Kvadrat’s flagship New York showrooms encompass colourful design codes
Industrial designer Jonathan Olivares and architect Vincent Van Duysen have worked with Danish textile brand Kvadrat on the vast new space, also featuring furniture by Moroso
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
What to see at New York Design Week 2022
Discover Wallpaper’s highlights from New York Design Week 2022 (10 – 20 May 2022): the fairs, exhibitions and design openings to discover
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated
-
Colour defines LA ceramics studio and showroom of Bari Ziperstein
Step inside the multifunctional ceramics studio, office and showroom of designer and artist Bari Ziperstein, designed by local firm Foss Hildreth
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated
-
Design for Ukraine: Bocci and Design Miami join forces to raise funds
The online sale of iconic Bocci pieces will benefit GlobalGiving’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund, providing urgently needed humanitarian aid
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated
-
Designer Marcin Rusak rallies international creatives to raise funds for Ukraine
Raising funds for Poland’s Fundacja Ocalenie, Warsaw-based designer Marcin Rusak is making the most of Instagram’s immediacy, auctioning original pieces donated by international designers
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated