With the exhibition Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, on view from November 25, 2011 through March 26, 2012, The Wolfsonian for the first time has organized an exhibition entirely from another institution’s collection, in this case that of the Centre national des arts plastiques, France (National Center for Visual Arts, or CNAP). This exhibition also marks the first time that CNAP has invited an outside curator (The Wolfsonian’s Marianne Lamonaca, associate director for curatorial affairs and education) to mount a show. The exhibition showcases examples of design in France from the 1940s to today and explores ways in which the works on view embody French cultural identity. Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity features approximately one hundred objects, including furniture, industrial design, and craft by some of the most celebrated French designers of the present and recent past such as Pierre Paulin, Roger Tallon, Philippe Starck, and the Bouroullec Brothers. “This is an opportunity for us to introduce this period of French design to a broad audience. While the exhibition includes many works by well-known designers, much of the material will be new to South Florida audiences,” says Lamonaca.How does one curate an exhibition from another institution’s collection when that institution is across the Atlantic? Lamonaca conceived of a new approach to The Wolfsonian’s curatorial practice, convening a group of renowned French designers and a design historian who worked with her to curate and design the exhibition and produce the accompanying catalogue. “It was a very collaborative process, a productive learning experience, and a great opportunity to work with this generation of exciting French designers,” she says. The team included industrial designer matali crasset, graphic design and creative consulting firm M/M (Paris) (Michael Amzalag and Mathias Augustyniak), design historian and curator Alexandra Midal, and CNAP curator Emilia Philippot.
Lamonaca shaped the parameters of the exhibition—she chose the French motto, liberté, egalité, fraternité “as the conceptual framework, as a way to explore French national identity through the objects selected,” she explains. “Those parameters really galvanized the team. From The Wolfsonian’s point of view, this was a test of sorts. We welcomed the opportunity to explore how our lens of looking at objects as a way of telling stories of cultural, social, and political change could encompass another collection and another time period.” The installation design and the catalogue reference important French cultural icons. For example, the objects are displayed on wooden units that serve as stools, pedestals, tables, and other display elements, and are painted in the colors of the French flag—the concept is based on Le Corbusier’s celebrated 1943 measuring system, the Modulor.
The exhibition’s opening reception takes place Friday, December 2 at 8pm, during Art Basel Miami Beach, and is open to Wolfsonian Diplomat-level members and above and to Art Basel and Design Miami/ VIP cardholders. On Saturday, December 3 at 12:30pm in The Wolfsonian’s auditorium, the curatorial team presents the exhibition and answers questions from the audience. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue of the same title designed by M/M (Paris) and edited by Lamonaca (see “French Designers’ Products in Museum Shop,” below).
The Wolfsonian thanks the following sponsors for making this exhibition possible: Centre national des arts plastiques, France; Institut français; and Van Cleef & Arpels. Additional support received from Crédit Agricole Private Banking Miami; Services Culturels de l’Ambassade de France/Maison Française; Funding Arts Network; United Airlines, the Official Airline of The Wolfsonian–FIU; Wolfsonian Visionaries; Northern Trust; Furthermore: a program of the J.M. Kaplan Fund; and the South Beach Group Hotels.