OMAHA, NEB.- Few works tell the history of modern design as eloquently as the chair. The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design pulls this most familiar of everyday objects out from under the desk and dining room table to surprise visitors with the exceptional style and creativity to be found in this seemingly humble piece of furniture. Drawn from the Jacobsen Collection of American Art and organized by The Museum of Contemporary Art, Jacksonville, Florida, the exhibition presents an exploration of American design from the early nineteenth century to the present day. The Art of Seating is on view at Joslyn Art Museum from June 1 through September 8.

Considering the chair not only as an everyday item but also as functional sculpture, each of the forty chairs in the exhibition reflect important artistic, social, economic, political and cultural influences. The exhibition also offers a glimpse into the dedication and passion of a collector, who collaborated with curators, scholars, and specialists to assemble a collection that not only exemplifies the majority of important movements in American design over two centuries, but also traces the vibrant and progressive history of this country’s ingenuity and creativity.

Examples include a modest Rocking Arm Chair from the 1840s, common to a middleclass home or front porch, simply designed for comfort and function; later nineteenth century furniture that drew its inspiration from European Gothic, Rococo, and Renaissance Revivals and exotic Asian-influenced designs; clever “Patent Furniture” using new materials to allow foldability and flexibility from the office to the railway car; and the Craftsman Movement, admired to this day for its simple, forthright designs. The twentieth century saw the emergence of elegant and futuristic designs using industrial materials, such as aluminum tubing and plastics. In the vital period after the Second World War, American designers wowed the world with modernist designs that were light, compact, and inexpensive yet also projected an energetic and bright outlook. Contemporary chairs reflect a groundbreaking use of materials and design, often mirroring challenging trends in architecture.

Although designed first for function, each chair tells a story about ingenuity, creativity, and the unique history of American decorative design. From chairs made by anonymous craftsmen to a who’s who of modern designers and architects from Frank Lloyd Wright to Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen, Isamu Noguchi, and Frank Gehry, The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design highlights creativity and inspiration from the kitchen counter to the corner office.

The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design is organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Jacksonville, in collaboration with the Thomas H. and Diane DeMell Jacobsen, Ph.D. Foundation and is toured by International Arts & Artists, Washington, D.C.