As someone that has always appreciated lighting as a category of design that always completes the finishing touch and adds a level of drama to any room, I was particularly interested in visiting the MFA’s exhibit that has been opening this week in the Law Building of the Museum complex. I am certainly not alone as it was said in its opening overview, “From the invention of electric light by British chemist Humphry Davy in 1808 to Phillip’s development of the “ultra-efficient light bulb in 2011, lighting technology has fascinated engineers, scientists, architects, and designers worldwide and has inspired periods of creative expression.”
Electrifying Design: A Century of Lighting is not only the first large-scale exhibition in the United States to examine international lighting over the past 100 years. It is also a very personal project for both MFAH Director Gary Tinterow and our talented Design Curator, Cindi Strauss who both, in introducing this exhibit to the media described it as an in-progress work of love for 20 years. Cindi had begun this project in 2001 and when Tinterow was at the NY Met they discussed collaborating on this……..time has moved on and it has alternated front and back burner over time as other exhibits have been planned and finally now, in 2021, it is coming to fruition and you will see, every bit worth the wait!
The exhibition presents 85 rare or limited-production examples by the world’s leading designers in this field. Their creations harnessed light radiance and beauty, resulting in innovative designs that extend beyond the purely functional.
“Lighting design has both transformed our daily life and influenced major design movements over the past 100 years. These novel creations blend advances in technology with artistic expression; the will open visitors’ eyes to innovative design in the everyday,” said Gary Tinterow, MFAH Director, the Margaret Alkek Williams Chair.
“Electrifying Design bring together exceptional objects that will delight visitors with a combination of innovative forms, practical applications, and fun,” said Cindi Strauss, exhibition co-curator and the Sara and Bill Morgan Curator of Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design at the MFAH. “Lighting as a field has often been pushed, literally, into the shadows. This exhibition highlights its role as a leading indicator of stylistic and technical change.
Electrifying Design: A Century of Lighting focuses on lighting’s contribution to design history, illustrating how it responds to advances in technology and materials, and the development of functional form during changing aesthetic movements. Organized by theme, the exhibition examines lighting in three sections: Typologies: task lamps, floor lamps, and ceiling lamps; the Lightbulb and its aesthetic importance as well as a light source and Quality of Light, which considers the manipulation of light effects. Each section features works ranging from early expressions in the 1920s to current designs from the United States, Europe, and Asia. Amplifying the works on view, the exhibition features three large-scale immersive experiences.
A Sampling of some of the many treasures to be found in the exhibit….
Electrifying Design: A Century of Lighting is first large-scale exhibition in the U.S. to examine lighting over the past 100 years.
For more details on the exhibit, please visit the Museum of Fine Arts Houston website, mfah.org
all images provided by the Museum of Fine Arts Houston