LACMA

Location varies: Artworks on view

The collection includes European and American decorative arts and design from the medieval period to the present. The Arts and Crafts collection, including work from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe, is one of the most comprehensive in the country. Other strengths are 16th-19th century European ceramics, enamels, glass and metalwork; and modern design, with an emphasis on design from California, and modern and contemporary studio ceramics and glass.

Charles Eames and Ray Eames

New Joint Acquisition: A.H. Mackmurdo Chair

March 8

Speaking about the Collectors Committee, a famed LACMA event in which curators make a presentation to donors to solicit funds for dream objects for the permanent collection, Wendy Kaplan, the museum’s head of decorative arts and design, told the New York Times in May, “It’s nerve-racking. You tell yourself it’s only an object, not your health. But you’ve researched it intensively, and you’re crushed if you don’t get it.” Well, Wendy didn’t get the object in question, a renowned A. H. Mackmurdo chair that is universally believed to signal the start of Art Nouveau. What happened next is a story of extreme curatorial perseverance.

Open Houses

September 30, 2009

There’s a secret that I’ve been keeping for years. I would have come clean a long time ago but, well, I’m pretty embarrassed about it. Here’s my confession (deep breath)—I have never been to any of the exceptional, historic homes open to the public in L.A. There. I said it. As a lover of house museums—the Musee Jacquemart-Andre is my favorite—it’s just plain weird that I haven’t made time to visit any of them here. So, I consulted our Decorative Arts and Design Department Head Curator, Wendy Kaplan, to help me rectify the problem. For those of you who also harbor the shame of not yet visiting one of these great places, here is Wendy’s must-see list.

One Gift Leads to Another

August 17, 2009