Spring 2020
Friday, March 20 12–4:30 pm, 38W86 Wiki Edit a Thon: Art + Feminism Free with RSVP
March
Thursday, March 5 6–8 pm, 18W86 BGC Late Series: Jazz & Conversation in the Gallery Discussion: Breaking Ground—Gender, Architecture, Activism Free with RSVP
Wednesday, April 15 6–7:30 pm, 18W86 Gallery Tour Series Eileen Gray’s Architecture $25
Thursday, March 26 6.30–8 pm, 38W86 What is Intersectional Feminist Practice ? Free with RSVP Saturday, March 28 1–3 pm, 38W86 Contemporary Reflections Series Blackness and Spatial Matters $5 Students & Seniors $8 Adults Monday, March 30 11 am–3 pm, 18W86 Senior Open House Free with RSVP
May
Saturday, February 29 2:30–4 pm, 38W86 World Premiere Film Screening Eileen Gray documentary In Conversation with Eileen Gray $5 Students & Seniors $8 Adults
Wednesday, March 25 4–6 pm, 18W86 Evening for Educators $10
Thursday, May 7 6–8 pm, 18W86 BGC Late Series: Jazz & Conversation in the Gallery Discussion: Black Art and Activism in Early 20th-Century Paris Free with RSVP Thursday, May 14 6:30–8 pm, 38W86 Contemporary Reflections Series Designing Alternative Spaces for Bodily Autonomy $5 Students & Seniors $8 Adults
Thursday, June 4 10:30 am–4 pm, 18W86 Chancellor’s Day Professional Development Workshop for Educators 18 West 86 Street $25 Thursday, June 4 6–8 pm, 18W86 BGC Late Series: Jazz & Conversation in the Gallery Discussion: Collaboration to Independence in the Work of Eileen Gray, from E 1027 to Tempe à Pailla Free with RSVP Thursday, June 11 6:30–8 pm, 38W86 Contemporary Reflections Series Designing Social/Cultural Spaces $5 Students & Seniors $8 Adults Wednesday, June 17 6–7:30 pm, 18W86 Gallery Tour Series Eileen Gray’s Use of Lacquer $25
Saturday, June 20 12–3 pm, 18W86 Ice Cream Social Free with RSVP Saturday, June 20 1–3 pm, 18W86 BGC Kids Workshop $5 per child
July
February
Friday, February 28 9:30 am–12:30 pm, 38W86 Symposium— Eileen Gray: New Research and Methodologies Free with RSVP
Thursday, April 9 6:30–8 pm, 38W86 Contemporary Reflections Series Queer Histories in Architecture $5 Students & Seniors $8 Adults
Wednesday, May 20 6–7:30 pm, 18W86 Gallery Tour Series Eileen Gray’s Use of Fiber $25
Thursday, July 2 6–8 pm, 18W86 BGC Late Series: Jazz & Conversation in the Gallery Free with RSVP
Calendar
BGC Members receive discounts on these events. To become a member, visit bgc.bard.edu/membership
Thursday, April 2 6–8 pm, 18W86 BGC Late Series: Jazz & Conversation in the Gallery Free with RSVP
June
Wednesday, March 18 6–7:30 pm, 18W86 Gallery Tour Series Eileen Gray’s Use of Metal Tube $25
April
Events that take place at Bard Graduate Center Gallery at 18 West 86 Street are marked 18W86. Events that take place in the Lecture Hall at 38 West 86 Street are marked 38W86.
Cover: View of the south façade of E 1027 from the sea, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, unknown date. Silver gelatin print. Centre Pompidou, Bibliothèque Kandinsky, Paris. Fonds Eileen Gray. Eileen Gray has been organized by Centre Pompidou, Paris, in collaboration with Bard Graduate Center.
Special thanks to the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin.
The exhibition is made possible by the generous support of Phillips, as well as Elise Jaffe + Jeffrey Brown. Additional support for the project is provided by the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, the Selz Foundation, Edward Lee Cave, and the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, and is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Support for the exhibition catalogue has been provided by Furthermore: a program of the J.M. Kaplan Fund.
On View in the Gallery Eileen Gray February 29–July 12, 2020 Eileen Gray (1878–1976) was a pioneer of modern design and architecture, the rare woman practicing in these fields that were completely dominated by men up until World War II. This exhibition, the first in the U.S. to illuminate the full sweep of Gray’s career, features plans, drawings, sketchbooks, photographs, and letters that reveal how she designed her most famous house, E 1027, along with photography, rugs, and archival materials from her bestknown projects, and never-before-seen furniture and lacquer works.
Curated by Cloé Pitiot, Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and organized by Centre Pompidou, Paris, in collaboration with Bard Graduate Center.
E 1027 living room, undated. Centre Pompidou, Bibliothèque Kandinsky, Paris, Fonds Eileen Gray.
Exhibition Highlights
The Irish-born Gray studied in London and Paris, where she moved in 1902. Despite her early success, her work was largely forgotten after World War II. Yves St. Laurent’s purchase of Gray’s “Le Destin” in 1972 revived interest in her career. George C. Beresford. Eileen Gray in London, 1915–20. Photograph. National Museum of Ireland, NMEIG 2000.234.
This transat chair reveals Eileen Gray, the designer, at her most ingenious. It was among the objects featured in Jean Désert, her gallery and store on Paris’s rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Eileen Gray. Transat chair, 1926–29. Varnished sycamore, nickel-plated steel, synthetic leather. Centre Pompidou, Musée national d’art moderne, Paris, purchase, 1992, AM 1992-1-1.
In addition to buildings and furniture, Gray designed carpets, lighting, interiors, and more. The exhibition includes three of her carpets, along with her notes and gouache carpet designs. Eileen Gray. Rug, ca. 1922–24. Wool. Collection Jacques De Vos, Paris. Photograph: Studio SLB-CH BARAJA
E 1027, Gray’s villa in the south of France, is her most iconic work of modern architecture. The exhibition includes photographs, a model, and original furniture, rugs, and lighting to explore this “total work of art.” Eileen Gray and Jean Badovici, E 1027, Au Cap Martin Roquebrune, 1926–29 from L’Architecture Vivante, no. 26 (Winter 1929), Paris: Éditions Albert Morancé, page 32. National Museum of Ireland, NMIEG 2000.256.
Event Highlights Bard Graduate Center’s events serve as catalysts for deep reflection with objects, building dialogue, and imagining new ways of seeing. The events highlighted on these pages represent many opportunities to explore the decorative arts, design history, and material culture at Bard Graduate Center. Check out the full calendar or visit bgc.bard.edu to find more events that interest you. Register for Events Sign up for BGC events quickly and easily! Visit bgc.bard.edu/events Call 212.501.3010. Space for BGC events is limited; please register in advance. Programs are subject to change; check the BGC website for the most up-to-date details.
BGC Late — Jazz and Conversation in the Gallery Photo: Maria Baranova
At BGC Late, enjoy cool jazz, warm vibes, and a glass of wine; see our fascinating exhibitions and learn from provocative conversations that relate to the objects on view. Gene Perla and the outstanding musicians he brings together begin playing at 6 pm, discussion begins at 6:30 pm, and the Gallery is open until 8 pm. Free with RSVP. Thursday, March 5 at 6 pm Discussion: Breaking Ground—Gender, Architecture, Activism Thursday, April 2 at 6 pm Free Exhibition Tours Thursday, May 7 at 6 pm Discussion: Black Art and Activism in Early 20th-Century Paris Thursday, June 4 at 6 pm Discussion: Collaboration to Independence in the Work of Eileen Gray, from E 1027 to Tempe à Pailla Thursday, July 2 at 6 pm Free Exhibition Tours
Gallery Tour Series
Spotlight on Eileen Gray’s Materials Tour the Eileen Gray exhibition and learn more about her use of specific materials. Each session is led by an expert who will illuminate Gray’s versatility and expertise with a variety of materials and techniques. Wednesday, March 18 Metal Tube led by Christopher Wilk Wednesday, April 15 Architecture led by Caroline Constant Wednesday, May 20 Fiber led by Jennifer Goff Wednesday, June 17 Lacquer led by Ruth Starr 6–7:30 pm $25 each session $20 BGC Members Above: Eileen Gray. Adjustable table, 1926-29. Lacquered tubular steel, cellulose acetate. Centre Pompidou, Musée national d’art moderne, Paris. Purchase, 1992, AM 1992-1-3. Left: Eileen Gray. Lacquer and incised screen, 1922-25. Incised wood with brown and tan lacquer. Kelly Gallery and Stephen Kelly.
Contemporary Reflections Series
The Art of Living: Bodily Experiences of Space
Explore the ways in which Eileen Gray’s influential, humancentered approach to design and architecture continues to provoke questions and resonate with today’s scholars and practitioners in this series curated by Kristen Owens. Thursday, March 12 at 6:30 pm Blackness and Spatial Matters Thursday, April 9 at 6:30 pm Queer Histories in Architecture Thursday, May 14 at 6:30 pm Designing Alternative Spaces for Bodily Autonomy Thursday, June 11 at 6:30 pm Designing Social/Cultural Spaces $5 Students & Seniors; $8 Adults Free for BGC members
BGC Publications Photo: Bruce White
Bard Graduate Center publishes award-winning exhibition catalogues, books, and journals that focus on scholarship in the decorative arts, design history, and material culture.
CLOÉ PITIOT NINA STRITZLER-LEVINE EDITORS
Laura Arnold Leibman
The Art of the Jewish Family
The Art of the Jewish Family
Laura Arnold Leibman
A History of Women in Early New York in Five Objects
GRAY
EILEEN
EILEEN GRAY
EILEEN GRAY YALE BGC
Deepen your understanding of the themes presented in Eileen Gray with the accompanying exhibition catalogue, edited by curator Cloé Pitiot, designed by Irma Boom, and full of new research that sheds light on Eileen Gray’s complete oeuvre.
Author Laura Arnold Leibman offers a new perspective on early Jewish American history in The Art of the Jewish Family. The book explores the lives of five diverse Jewish women who lived in New York between 1750 and 1850 by examining objects they owned.
To view and purchase BGC publications, visit bgc.bard.edu/publications.
About Bard Graduate Center Bard Graduate Center is a research institute in New York City that studies the human past through objects, from those created for obvious aesthetic value to ordinary things that are part of everyday life. Faculty members are drawn from the fields of art history, history, anthropology, archaeology, and materials science. Alumni of BGC’s highly regarded MA and PhD programs hold curatorial and academic positions at important institutions around the world. And BGC’s summer programs for teens and for advanced undergraduate students expose emerging scholars to its interdisciplinary, object-based approach. To learn more about BGC’s academic programs, visit bgc.bard.edu.
Engage with the beauty, diversity, and rich meaning of objects, design, and material culture. Join the Bard Graduate Center Membership Circle and receive invitations to openings and exclusive events; a 10% discount on items in our gift shop; early access to select public programs; and many opportunities for learning and exploring. bgc.bard.edu/membership 212.501.3071
Photo: Casey Kelbaugh
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Paul Comoléra, designer; Minton & Co., maker. Life-size peacock, designed ca. 1873, made 1876. Lead-glazed earthenware. Private collection. Photograph: Bruce White.
On view September 25, 2020– January 3, 2021
World’s Fairs.
Majolica Mania: Transatlantic Pottery in England and the United States, 1850–1915, an exhibition and accompanying publication, will create new awareness and appreciation for nineteenth-century English and American majolica. Colorful, wildly imaginative, and technically innovative, this ceramic ware was functional and aesthetic, modern and historicizing. Its subject matter reflects a range of Victorian preoccupations, from botany and zoology to popular humor and the macabre. The exhibition will consider the significant impact of majolica, from wares used in domestic conservatories and dining rooms to monumental pieces displayed at the
Majolica Mania: Transatlantic Pottery in England and the United States, 1850–1915 Curated by Susan Weber and Jo Briggs
Exhibition Opening Fall 2020 18 West 86th Street, New York, NY 10024
Presorted First Class Mail U.S. Postage Paid Milford, CT Permit No. 80