Our brief trip to New York was an incredible experience, and although we didn’t have the opportunity to visit a lot of art galleries, we absolutely could not miss out on The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). As an interior designer, there is so much to learn from art museums and galleries. These galleries are our biggest inspiration in our design and that inspiration is certainly a part of the creative process. Besides the usual incredible art pieces displayed, MOMA also was holding a special exhibition of furniture from incredible designers (architects, furniture designers, urbanist and more) from South America which we had the chance to see.
MOMA is popularily known for The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Daly and The Starry Night by Van Gogh. However, there are many other incredible artists works and ideas that intrigue us as our work as interior designers and decorators
Some art pieces prompt us think about the thought process and ideas behind it, and others are emotional, where you feel what they are feeling.
Here are a few pieces that sparked our interest in learning more about the artist and their works.
Montien Boonma’s House of Hope
As the name clues to us, this piece is a home made with buddhist prayer beads. The story behind it is rather heartbreaking, but sadness also creates beautiful art, does not it?
The photo’s here simply do not do it justice, particularily the scale of it. It is piece you must see in person.
Ellsworth Kelly’s Various Work
Ellsworth Kelly is an artist who experiments with line, pattern, geometric planes with integration of colour. MOMA had a display of his sketchbook which provided a more personal glimpse at his work. His colour combination of geometric shapes got us fascinated about what could be possible. His works are arguably the most integratable and inspiring for practical work as interior designers.
Henri Matisse’s Mural Artwork Swimming Pool
Henri Matisse’s works are no stranger to art enthusiasts. His style is versatile, working with mainly paint, but other mediums as well. We were most fascinated with the cutouts “swimming pools”. The way he managed to translate something so sophisticated like water to give it simplification forms and patterns is beyond impressive.
Lee Ulfan’s From Line
We posted his work from our trip to Naoshima, Japan last year, and were impressed to see that MOMA also has his work on display. The minimalist approach to his work is effective. It can be described in the saying, “the simpler it looks, the more complicated the work”. He was trained in philosophy and borned in Korea but lived in Japan. We found his artworks to be deceptively simple while carrying so much depth.
Andrew Wyeth’s Christina’s World
We are not sure if others had the same feeling as we did witnessing this painting, but we were standing in front it for about ten minutes to take it all in. Andrew Wyeth is a realist artist, and this particular piece carries a sense of melancholy that draws you in. It was our first time seeing his artwork in person, and we can’t wait to see more in the future.
We could go on and on about other incredible pieces, but this would not be complete without at least mentioning the chair exhibit as an inerior designer. These furniture designs from South America were an important highlight of the visit. This exhibit was a reminder that there’s a whole unexplored world furtinure design to learn about. We saw chairs designed by Martin Eislen, Amancio Williams, Delfino Galvez, Antonio Bonet, Juan Baixas , just to a name few of the incredible artists. It is a must visit for an interior designers, decorator and architects.
If you would like us to explore a gallery somewhere in the world, let us know! We can be reached at hello@renaodesignstuio.com. We are always open to collaborating with you, just send a message on instagram, facebook or the email above.
