Go-Round-Merrily: A selection of design openings

New York City:


On April 20, the New Greek and Roman Galleries at The Metropolitan Museum of Art will reopen, concluding a 15-year project that returns thousands of works from the museum’s permanent collection to public view. The new galleries will feature objects created between circa 900 B.C. and the early fourth century A.D. Artworks on view will trace the evolution of Greek art in the Hellenistic period and the arts of southern Italy and Etruria, culminating in works from the Roman Empire.

www.metmuseum.org





London:
Surreal Things: Surrealism and Design
March 29 to July 22
This month the V&A will open what it bills as the first exploration of "the influence of Surrealism on the worlds of fashion, design, theatre, interiors, film, architecture and advertising." The exhibition looks at the way Surrealist images and thought influenced design across the board. It also looks at the 3-dimensional creations of some of the movement's premiere painters. A few highlights from the exhibition:



Elsa Schiaparelli
'Tear' Evening Dress, 1938
Fabric designed by Salvador Dalí. Viscose rayon and silk blend
Dress: h. 145 cm, Veil 110.5 cm.
V&A: T.393-1974, © V&A Images

The motif of torn dress or flesh first appeared in Dalí's 1936 painting 'Three Young Surrealist Women Holding in Their Arms the Skins of an Orchestra'. Schiaparelli's interpretation of this motif combined the illusory and the real. The fabric was printed with a l'oeil pattern of torn flesh, while the tears on the mantle were appliquéd. Pale strips of fabric peel back to reveal a livid pink beneath.




Salvador Dalí
Ruby Lips Brooch, 1949
18-carat yellow gold, natural rubies, pearls
3.2 x 4.8 x 1.5 cm.
Primavera Gallery, New York
Copyright © Salvador Dalí, Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation, DACS, London 2007

Dalí wrote of this piece, 'Poets of all ages, of all lands, write of ruby lips and teeth like pearls. It remained for Dalí to translate this poetic cliché into a true Surrealist object'. The use of rubies for lips creates a tension between the sensuality of flesh and the hard allure of precious stones. The transposition of the lips from the mouth to the body accentuates the idea of fetishisation.

www.vam.ac.uk





Ghent:


Hommage ann Charles Eames: ontwerpen uit de collectie van het
Design museum Gent
June 13 to September 30th

A centenary celebration of the work of Charles and Ray Eames from the permanent collection at Belgium's leading design museum. Small in scale, but big in spirit, the exhibition marks the 100th birthday of Charles, and the international influence of these Los Angeles designers.

www.design.museum.gent