Hasta La Ideas

Following their high-profile acquisition of artist David Wojnarowicz‘s controversial A Fire in My Belly, the MoMA has just added some more to its collection, with these pieces a bit easier to interpret (or at least, easier to read). This week, the museum announced that it has acquired twenty-three digital typefaces for its Architecture and Design Collection, ranging from Erik Spiekermann‘s FF Meta to Neville Brody‘s FF Blur (and before you wonder, yes, of course Hoefler & Frere-Jones‘ Gotham is in there too). Previously, as Alice Rawsthorn points out, Helvetica had been the only piece of type the museum had picked up for the department, lonely among a collection of nearly 30,000 objects, so it’s nice to see they’ve see the typographic light. Here’s a bit from the official statement, as well as some quick info on what they have planned for the new acquisitions:

This first selection of 23 typefaces represent a new branch in our collection tree. They are all digital or designed with a foresight of the scope of the digital revolution, and they all significantly respond to the technological advancements occurring in the second half of the twentieth century. Each is a milestone in the history of typography. These newly acquired typefaces will all be on display in Standard Deviations, an installation of the contemporary design galleries opening March 2 on the third floor.

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Following last year’s outstanding “Quicktake” exhibition at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Rodarte will get its close-up on the other side of the country with a solo show at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. Since founding the fashion house in 2005, sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy have earned the support of major retailers (and reportedly the keen interest of a certain luxury goods giant) as well as a growing list of honors, including the CFDA Womenswear Design of the Year award and the National Design Award for Fashion. “We are very excited that MOCA will present the first museum exhibition of our work in Los Angeles,” said Kate Mulleavy, in a statement issued today by MOCA. “The exhibition will explore the transitional states of garments and examine them as vessels without bodies.” Opening March 4, “Rodarte: States of Matter” will feature approximately 20 pieces from the house’s spring 2010, fall 2010, and fall 2008 collections as well as original ballet costumes the Mulleavys designed for Black Swan. MOCA curator Rebecca Morse is keeping the focus on construction with pieces that are mostly black and white with occasional red accents, while exhibition designer Alexandre de Betak is masterminding a mannequin-free installation that will display the garments as “charged sculptural objects.” Expect kinetic displays, dramatic lighting, and other theatrical elements that have become a staple of Rodarte runway shows.
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With the heat still on New York’s Board of Regents and the newly-created 16 member committee brought in to investigate how they should/shouldn’t oversee the state’s museums’ deaccessioning of art, humorist and critic Joe Queenan has laid down some of his thoughts on the matter for the Wall Street Journal. While his plans to not only throw out the rules regarding art sales by museums, but to actually encourage it in order to have all those millions go to New York’s beleaguered sports teams probably won’t get very far within the commission currently studying it, we appreciate his thoughts. What’s more, he isn’t at all selfish about New York getting all that art-to-sports loot. He even throws out the idea to other cities with lousy teams, like Washington D.C.:

The Redskins stink, the Nationals stink and the Wizards really stink. Yet the fat-cat National Gallery is sitting there with more Renoirs and John Singer Sargent canvases than you can shake a stick at. So why not, just to boost civic pride, put a couple of Canalettos on the block and get the Redskins a quarterback who is not yet collecting Social Security? Or package a second-rate Bronzino with a third-rate Van Gogh and acquire a defensive end who can stuff the run? Who’s going to be the wiser?

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From geometric mobiles to solar-powered iPod docks, our favorites from the newest MoMA store collection

With over 125 products included in the new collection, selecting favorites from the MoMA Spring/Summer 2011 preview is no easy feat. In Part I, we sorted it out by limiting our picks to “things that look like other things,” but here you’ll find a more general assortment of nine items that we like for their form, function or both.

Garlic Rocker

Designed by Edward Goodwin and Richard Hartshorn, this Garlic Rocker ($16) helps crush garlic with ease. Simply rock it back and forth to press the garlic through the holes, and scrape the results directly into the pan. But the real beauty lies in its stainless steel construction, which is easy to clean, dishwasher safe and deodorizes hands when you run it under water.

Maiaia Bowls

Memories of childhood hand-knit clothes inspired Spanish designer Silvia Garcia to craft large ($35) and small ($15) serving bowls out of recycled colored glass, each with intricate textural patterns that toe the line between kitsch and beauty.

Reflections Placemats and Coasters

Liora Mann‘s design studio hand-blended, needle-punched and encased acrylic fibers between two layers of vinyl—a patented process—to create these color-splashed placements ($16) and set of four coasters ($12).

Flat Watch

Aptly titled, the Flat Watch ($30) by Ops! is a super-slim silicone watch that’s perfect for teens or color fanatics. The back-lit display makes it easy to read in any lighting condition, it’s water-resistant, and has a 12- or 24-hour display along with the date.

Themis Mobile

Designed by Clara Von Zweigbergk, the Themis Mobile consists of five geometric paper ornaments, suspended from a thin metal frame. With multiple colors, this piece creates a fun visual effect and requires only a small amount of assembly despite its delicate appearance.

Lace Border Rings

Using the lost wax process, Brigitte Adolf created the unisex rings out of sterling silver ($575) and 18K gold ($2,750) exclusively for MoMA. The inspiration stems from her “long-time passion for old handiwork” and the “illusion of a textile material.”

Muji Suitcase

Made by Muji, the medium or small carry-on suitcases ($125, $115) both meet FAA standards and features a minimalist polyester exterior that has multiple compartments, a side handle and now 360-degree wheels. Interior divider pockets makes for easy organization and a sturdy, water-repellent exterior keeps belongings safe and dry.

Soulra Speaker

Eton Soulra‘s portable, solar-powered sound system for the iPod and iPhone ($200) offers a bass boost for full stereo sound, and the rubberized case and aluminum frame make it the perfect picnic accessory once the weather warms up.

Space Bimba Watch

Miriam Mirri continues her playful approach to design with a polyurethane watch dubbed the Space Bimba ($85) for Alessi. Her charming take undoubtedly also captivates kids and adults alike.

If there’s one thing that never hurts to raise a piece of art’s perceived social value, it’s controversy. Recently in the museum business, and the art world in general, there hasn’t been much more controversial or as high-profile as the ongoing debacle over the National Portrait Gallery‘s decision to remove the piece A Fire in My Belly by artist David Wojnarowicz back in early December, following some fabricated beating of the drums and calls for outrage by a select few political and religious groups. The move seemingly everyone upset, but it also pushed the artists’ piece front and center, undoubtably now seen by perhaps hundreds of thousands more people who would have otherwise never had known it even existed. That seems like it will continue to be the case with the latest news this week that the MoMA has acquired the piece and will immediately begin displaying it as part of a new exhibition (this in addition to the museum’s announcement yesterday that it’s bringing Juxtapoz to the big screen). So like with muralist Blu and the LAMOCA on the other side of the country, the bad possibly also wound up resulting in some good for the artist himself. Here’s the official statement:

The Museum of Modern Art has acquired a complete version of A Fire in My Belly (1986–87) by David Wojnarowicz — both its original 13-minute version and a 7- minute excerpt made by the artist — announced MoMA Director Glenn D. Lowry today. MoMA is the first institution to acquire the video, and it goes on view today in the Museum’s exhibition Contemporary Art from the Collection, a focused examination of artistic practice since the late 1960s that considers how current events from the last 40 years have shaped artists’ work.

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