150 Years of Design: The AIA Houston Collection Through Summer 2025
Maarten Van Severen, manufactured by Kartell, LCP00 (Low Chair Plastic), designed 2000, manufactured 2003, PMMA and metal, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the American Institute of Architects, Houston Design Collection, museum purchase funded by the American Institute of Architects, Houston.
Andrea Branzi, Massimo Morozzi, and Archizoom Associati, manufactured by Poltronova, La Farfalla di Battista (The Butterfly of Battista), 1967, screen-printed synthetic, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the American Institute of Architects, Houston Design Collection, museum purchase funded by the American Institute of Architects, Houston. © Studio Branzi
Lester Geis, manufactured by the Heifetz Company, Adjustable Table Lamp Model No. T-5-G, c. 1951, enameled metal, brass, and incandescent bulb, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the American Institute of Architects, Houston Design Collection, museum purchase funded by friends of William Neuhaus in his honor.
Marcel Breuer, manufactured by Gebrüder Thonet AG, Lounge Chair, Model no. B35 and Stool, Model no. B37, designed 1928–29, made c. 1930–35, chrome-plated tubular steel, Eisengarn, and lacquered wood, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the American Institute of Architects, Houston Design Collection, museum purchase funded by friends of S. I. Morris in his honor.
William Arthur Smith Benson, Fire Screen, c. 1891, copper and brass, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the American Institute of Architects, Houston Design Collection, museum purchase funded by friends of John Kirksey in his honor; photograph courtesy of H. Blairman & Sons, London.
Aldo Rossi, manufactured by Alessi S.p.A., Tea and Coffee Piazza, designed 1979–83, made 1985, sterling silver, glass, brass, enamel, fabric, and quartz, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the American Institute of Architects, Houston Design Collection, museum purchase funded by friends of John Chase in his honor. © Eredi Aldo Rossi
150 Years of Design celebrates the 25th anniversary of the collaboration between the MFAH and the Houston chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
This collaboration is the only one of its kind in the United States. Since 1999, the Museum has worked with the AIA to build the American Institute of Architects, Houston Design Collection. The collection encompasses international, architect-designed objects made beginning in 1880—particularly furniture, metalwork, ceramics, glass, lighting, and industrial design.
The selections on view in 150 Years of Design: The AIA Houston Collection include rare and limited-edition works, such as a translucent, molded-plastic chair by Maarten Van Severen; a sterling-silver flower basket by Josef Hoffmann for the Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshop); a tubular steel chair and stool by Marcel Breuer; a lamp by Lester Geis; and the Gerrit Rietveld “Zig-Zag” Chair.
This exhibition coincides with the 85th Annual TxA (Texas Society of Architects) Conference & Design Expo, being held in Houston from October 3 to October 5, 2024.
► Publication
Accompanying the exhibition is an online catalogue featuring scholarly object entries, an introduction to the AIA Houston Collection, and an essay on the importance of architects to design history.
150 Years of Design: The AIA Houston Collection / August 31, 2024–August 2025
“150 Years of Design: The AIA Houston Collection” is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Related Events
Drop-in Tour | “150 Years of Design: The AIA Houston Collection”
Gallery Talk/TourThursday, November 7, 2024 1:30 p.m.
