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Carly and I stole away for a few hours for a girls lunch and to see the World's Fair Exhibit at Nelson Atkins
Combining my love for looking at pretty things and history. I was super excited to see it. We filled our bellies with raja dip and felafel and headed over. |
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Of course, most of the really cool stuff can't be found on the website, but here are a few. I loved this clock (my never ending obsession with clocks continues...)
Z-Clock
Gilbert Rohde's Z-Clock exhibits new materials and a dynamic composition in its compact, streamlined form. Replacing the traditional clock case with a strong diagonal bar, Rhode emphasized simplicity and lowered production costs.
Model shown at A Century of Progress International Exposition, Chicago, 1933
Gilbert Rohde, American, 1894–1944. Herman Miller Clock Company, United States (Zeeland, MI), 1927–1937. Z-Clock, 1933. Glass, enamel and chromium-plated steel. 11 3/4 x 12 x 3 in. (29.9 x 30.5 x 7.6 cm). Dallas Museum of Art, anonymous gift, 2006.19.
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| No info on the web on this, but this was one of both Carly and my favorite pieces. This picture does it NO justice either. It's a vanity, and it was amazing |
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Another picture that didn't do this piece justice. This was gorgeous
Another Diadem
The Italian jewelry firm Castellani specialized in works that looked to ancient materials or motifs. This diadem is a precise copy of ancient Etruscan gold victory wreathes. Similar designs shown at the London International Exhibition of 1862
Castellani, Italy (Rome), 1814–1927. Diadem, ca. 1860. Gold. 1 x 5 1/2 x 4 3/8 in. (2.5 x 14 x 11 cm). Private Collection.
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Zaire Centerpiece Bowl
In the Zaire Centerpiece bowl, jeweler Raymond Ruys adapted African forms, styles and hand-craftsmanship in the simple, dynamic design. He was inspired by traditional Congolese works, unifying their solidity with the clean, abstracted lines of the Art Deco style. Shown at the Exposition Internationale Coloniale, Maritime et d'Art Flamand, Antwerp, 1930
Raymond Ruys, designer, Belgian, 1885–1956. Delheid Frères, manufacturer, Belgium (Brussels), 1828–1981. Zaire Centerpiece Bowl, 1930. Silver. 5 1/4 x 10 3/4 in. (13.3 x 27.3 cm). The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Purchase: the Charlotte and Perry Faeth Fund, 2002.4.
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I highlighted mostly art deco stuff, that tends to be a favorite of mine and Carly is an art deco freak. There were many other more classical pieces, but as we got the back, it was more contemporary and we were in heaven. There was a Cartier pin that I scoured the web for an image of that was to-die-for.
Although it was a great exhibit, I wish that there had been more history with it. There was one large photo of a World's Fair that was up on a wall with a small snippit of history with it. But, I guess it was an art show, not a history lecture. I'm just biased, I'm sure no one else cared.
You take for granted the amazing things that are available (and free!) in your town. The grounds around the museum are gorgeous. I made a resolution to get down there more
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| And look how big it is...I forget how much land it sits on- smack in the middle of the plaza pretty much |
And I got a shuttle cock ornament (Kansas City's version of the
Spoonbridge and Cherry) to go with all my other
ornaments
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| Little things like this make me very happy |
Then we browsed through just a bit of the gallery on our way out. Carly helped me the with Modern Art (am I missing something???) but there was an amazing photography exhibit
Timothy H. O’Sullivan: The King Survey Photographs - click the link to read about it, it was pretty amazing. I think Matt would have loved it
