Past

Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design

Nov. 4, 2016 – Mar. 26, 2017

The Jewish Museum presents the first U.S. exhibition focused on French designer and architect Pierre Chareau (1883–1950). Showcasing rare furniture, lighting fixtures, and interiors, as well as designs for the extraordinary Maison de Verre, the glass house completed in Paris in 1932, the exhibition brings together over 180 rarely-seen works from major public and private collections in Europe and the United States.

Pierre Chareau rose from modest beginnings in Bordeaux to become one of the most sought-after designers in France. Creating custom furniture and interiors for a distinguished clientele that included leading figures of the French-Jewish intelligentsia, Chareau balanced the opulence of traditional French decorative arts with interior designs that were elegant, functional, and in sync with the requirements of modern life. His innovative furniture, veneered in rare woods with occasional touches of exotic materials, had clean profiles and movable parts that appealed to the sensibilities of the progressive bourgeoisie.

Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design proposes a fresh look at the internationally recognized designer and examines his work in the Parisian cultural context between the wars to highlight his circle of influential patrons, engagement with the period’s foremost artists, and designs for the film industry. Together with his wife Dollie, Chareau was an active patron of the arts, and the exhibition reunites several pieces from their collection of paintings, sculptures, and drawings by significant artists such as Piet Mondrian, Amedeo Modigliani, Jacques Lipchitz, and Max Ernst.

The exhibition also addresses Chareau’s life and work in the New York area, after he left Paris during the German occupation of the city, including the house he designed for Robert Motherwell in 1947 in East Hampton, Long Island.

#PierreChareau

In the Press
“a delightful, virtual-reality-enhanced examination of the designer’s work…”
— The New York Times

“…a rare achievement in exhibition design.”
— The New Yorker

“The Best of Art in 2016”
— The New York Times

Kids Gallery Guide

Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design is organized by the Jewish Museum and Esther da Costa Meyer, Professor, History of Modern Architecture, Princeton University, in collaboration with The Centre Pompidou. The special exhibition design is by Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design is made possible by The Jerome L. Greene Foundation.

Generous support is also provided by The Peter Jay Sharp Exhibition Fund, The Grand Marnier Foundation, Tracey and Robert Pruzan, Susan and Benjamin Winter, Design Within Reach, Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis, Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, Selz Foundation, and UOVO. Additional funds are provided through the Leon Levy Foundation.

The interactive visitor experience is made possible by

The publication is supported by the Dorot Foundation and the Barr Ferree Foundation Fund for Publications, Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University.

The Jewish Museum gives special thanks to the Cultural Services of the French Embassy.

Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com

Exhibition highlights

Pierre Chareau (French, 1883-1950) and Bernard Bijvoet (Dutch, 1889-1979), Maison de Verre, 1928-1932. Photograph © Mark Lyon
Telephone table (MB152) and Religieuse table lamp, c. 1924, designed by Pierre Chareau (French, 1883-1950). Collection Dominique Suisse
Corbeille sofa (MP169), 1923, designed by Pierre Chareau (French, 1883-1950) with upholstery designed by Jean Lurçat (French, 1892-1966). Audrey Friedman and Haim Manishevitz, Primavera Gallery
Pierre Chareau (French, 1883-1950) and Bernard Bijvoet (Dutch, 1889-1979), Maison de Verre, 1928-1932. Photograph © Mark Lyon
Chana Orloff (French, 1888-1968), Bust of Pierre Chareau, 1921. Ateliers Chana Orloff
Piet Mondrian, Composition V with Blue and Yellow, 1927. The Baltimore Museum of Art: Bequest of Saidie A. May, BMA 1951.343
The facade of Pierre Chareau and Bernard Bijvoet’s Maison de Verre at night. Photograph © Yukio Futagawa / GA Photographers
La Religieuse floor lamp, 1923, designed by Pierre Chareau. Centre Pompidou, Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre de Creation Industrielle, Paris, Purchase funded in part by the Scaler Foundation, 1995. Photograph by Ken Collins, image provided by Gallery Vallois America, LLC
Virtual Reality Glass House at The Jewish Museum | Video by Curbed
360° rendering of the Grand Salon of the Maison de Verre, Paris Courtesy Diller Scofidio + Renfro
360° rendering of the garden of the Maison de Verre, Paris Courtesy Diller Scofidio + Renfro
360° rendering of the study in the Pierre Chareau residence, Paris Courtesy Diller Scofidio + Renfro
360° rendering of the Farhi Apartment, Paris Courtesy Diller Scofidio + Renfro

Installation Views

Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com
Installation view of the exhibition Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design, November 4, 2016 - March 26, 2017. The Jewish Museum, NY. Photo: Will Ragozzino/SocialShutterbug.com