Annual Delaware Antiques Show 2019

beginning in 1951, with the opening of Winterthur to the public and the construction of the south wing offices. The collection continued to grow from that point until at least 1969. This period of institutional expansion aligns with the burgeoning of the midcentury modern design movement. The furnishings purchased by the museum were not intended for gallery spaces but for everyday office use (fig. 3) , where they can still be found today. That is not to suggest that they are not important, valuable, or influential furnishings. Some of the very same furniture forms are in collections at the Museum of Modern Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and other important institutions across the country. They are compelling expressions of a distinctly American virtuosity in both craftsmanship and design that set a new standard for modern living. Some 78 percent of the midcentury modern furniture at Winterthur was made by the well-known firm Knoll and Associates, with 19 percent coming from Knoll’s friendly rival, Herman Miller Furniture Company. Most retain their original labels. Despite being manufactured by Knoll and Herman Miller, these chairs, desks, and credenzas are more commonly referred to by the designers and architects who envisioned them. More than ten different furniture forms designed by a variety of influential figures of midcentury modernism are in the Winterthur collection. Perhaps the most popular is “Saarinen 72” (fig. 4), the chair designed by Finnish- American architect and designer Eero Saarinen (1910–1961). At least 67 of the chairs populate spaces at Winterthur. Their continued existence is a testament to not only their durability but also their aesthetics, which remain compelling to museum staff sixty-eight years after being purchased. Saarinen, son of architect Eliel Saarinen and sculptor Loja Gesellius, was an instrumental figure in modern design. He is best known for a number of American Fig. 3. An office in Winterthur’s south wing, ca. 1957. Winterthur Archives Fig. 4. The Saarinen 72 chair. — 100 —