Past Meets Present: Decorative Arts and Design at Carnegie Museum of Art
Ongoing
The newly renovated Ailsa Mellon Bruce Galleries provide a broad perspective on American and European decorative arts from the Rococo and Neoclassical periods of the 18th century to contemporary design and craft of the 20th and 21st centuries.
In this special inaugural exhibition, the past and present of decorative arts and design at the museum is explored through three key installations. A display of significant early acquisitions includes 18th-century French furniture and sumptuous German porcelain owned by the famous collector and patron Ailsa Mellon Bruce; an important group of early Pennsylvania decorative arts reflects the museum’s commitment to the arts of this region; and a stunning installation of chairs offers a unique view of the evolution of style and design into the 21st century.
Isamu Noguchi, designer, 1904-1988, Aluminum Company of America, 1888-present, manufacturer, Alcoa Forecast Program Table, 1957, painted aluminum; Gift of Torrence M. Hunt, Sr.
Bakewell, Page and Bakewell, American, under name 1813–1827; Water decanters, 1818–1819, glass; Carnegie Museum of Art, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 2011.16.A–.B, 2011.8.A–.B
Samuel Gragg, American, 1772-c. 1855; Fully Elastic Armchair, c. 1810, painted wood, probably white oak, soft maple, and hickory; Carnegie Museum of Art, Berdan Memorial Trust Fund
Henry Hugh Armstead, designer, British, 1828-1905, C. F. Hancock & Sons, manufacturer, British, 1849-present; Tennyson Vase, 1867, silver with gilding, and velvet; Carnegie Museum of Art, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund and Berdan Memorial Trust Fund
Attributed to William Cock, cabinetmaker, American, b. England, 1776-1856; Tall case clock, c. 1800, walnut with inlay of maple and other light woods, tulip poplar, brass, lead, and painted iron; Carnegie Museum of Art
