Philadelphia Museum of Art Celebrates Marcel Wanders

Wanders will also host his "Happy Hour Chandelier," a performance piece by choreographer and dancer Nanine Linning, and give a personal tour of the exhibition on the night of the award ceremony.

Nicholas Tamarin -- Interior Design, 10/29/2009

The Crochet Chair

Philadelphians, already riding high with their Phillies in the World Series, are in for another delight when a certain famed Dutch designer descends on the City of Brotherly Love for the opening of "Marcel Wanders: Daydreams" at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on November 21.

Running through June 13, the multimedia exhibit will showcase the designer's favorite projects over the last 20 years and serve as a launching board for a flurry of Wanders-related activities. Sponsor Collab, a collaboration of design professionals and enthusiasts that supports its modern and contemporary design collection, will bestow Wanders with its Design Excellence Award at the opening. Previous recipients of the award include such design stalwarts as Ingo Mauer, Gaetano Pesce, Maya Lin, Frank Gehry, and Sir Terence Conran.


The New Antiques Chair

The exhibition will utilize shifting video images, light, and sound to highlight prototypes, personal editions, and never-before-exhibited objects by Wanders. A selection of works considered by Wanders to be his most essential, including Knotted Chair, Extra Big Shadow Floor Lamp, Moosehead, Crochet Chair, New Antiques Chair, and B.L.O. Lamp, will be on view along with several films demonstrating their interconnectivity.

Wanders, for his part, will present his "Happy Hour Chandelier," a performance piece that features his Dutch compatriot, choreographer-dancer Nanine Linning, descending through a chandelier and pouring champagne for assembled guests, on the night of the awards ceremony. He will also be on hand to give a personal tour of the exhibition before the award ceremony begins. The exhibition preview, "Happy Hour Chandelier", and a buffet supper reception will take place in the sky-lit galleria of the museum's Perelman Building.

 
Moosehead and B.L.O. Lamp

The art director and co-owner of Moooi, Wanders made his name designing furniture and objects for industry heavyweights like B&B Italia, Bisazza, Poliform, Moroso, Flos, Boffi, and Cappellini. He opened his own design office in Amsterdam in 1995 and has taken on major interior projects in recent years, including the Mondrian South Beach hotel in Miami and the Thor restaurant at the Hotel on Rivington in New York.

Tickets to the tour, award ceremony, "Happy Hour Chandelier," and buffet supper are available by calling the museum's ticket center at 215-235-7469.