The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design

Within the American home and workplace, chairs are usually regarded as simple, utilitarian objects that provide seating and a modicum of comfort. The Art of Seating offers a fascinating historical survey of artistic, technical and engineering developments in American decorative styles. The exhibition includes more than 40 distinctive chairs selected from the Jacobsen American Chair Collection, and also takes the viewer into the design studio through patent drawings, documented upholstery, artist renderings and multimedia presentations.

Selections offer a stylistic journey in furniture with showstoppers by Frank Lloyd Wright, John Henry Belter, the Herter Brothers, the Stickley Brothers, Isamu Noguchi, Frank Gehry, and others. The exhibition also features contemporary designs by some of the biggest manufacturers such as Knoll, Herman Miller, and Steelcase. Through this exhibition, the chair emerges as a complex artistic invention that embodies American ingenuity in design and reflects a variety of socio-cultural, economic and political values. Organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville and the Jacobsen Collection of American Art. Circulated by International Arts & Artists, Washington, D.C.

Exhibition overview from museum website.

Image: Designed by Thomas E. Warren (active with American Chair Co. 1849-52). Manufactured by the American Chair Co. (1829-1858), Troy, NY. Centripetal Spring Arm Chair, c. 1850. Photo by Michael Koryta and Andrew VanStyn, Director of Acquisitions, Conservation and Photography.