EERO AARNIO

 
Eero Aarnio. Image from designmuseum.fi

Eero Aarnio. Image from designmuseum.fi

 

Heading to Helsinki? Don't miss Eero Aarnio's retrospective, on display through September 25, 2016 at the Design Museum Helsinki. This extensive retrospective celebrates Aarnio's playful, yet stunningly chic style, with rare pieces from his personal collection. The 83 year old designer's work defined the mid-century "space age" design, while celebrating the optimistic youth culture of the 60s and 70s. kM loves his functional, fantastical pieces for children (can we get an original "Puppy" for the office, please?) and we are fascinated by the insights into his unique design process explored in the show.

The Designmuseo is located at Korkeavuorenkatu 23 in Helsinki. The museum is closed Mondays. Visit their website to plan your trip.

JEFF KOONS: SPLIT-ROCKER

July 10, 2014

We've blogged about our love for Jeff Koons' "Split-Rocker" before - we can't get enough of this fascinating combination of two child rockers, one a toy pony and the other a toy dragon. We're super psyched for the new edition of this piece, installed at Rockefeller Center in NYC this summer. Standing at almost 38 feet high and weighing 150 tons, the massive edition of the sculpture will be covered in flowering plants, including begonias, geraniums, and marigolds. Be sure to check it out before September 12, 2014 for both its massive scale and its place in 20th & 21st century pop art, sure to amaze kids and grown-ups.

Image from gagosian.com

Image from gagosian.com

 

The Rockefeller installation coincides with the Whitney's Jeff Koons Retrospective, June 27-October 19, 2014. The first retrospective on the artist, the exhibition acknowledges both the influence and controversy of his long career by examining his diverse body of work from 1978 to present day. Don't miss the special family opening on Saturday, July 19, 2014 from 9:30am-12:00pm.

Visiting "Split-Rocker" or the Koons retrospective at the Whitney? Be sure to tweet and Insta us @kinderMODERN #kMblog

GERRIT RIETVELD

April 11, 2014

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Gerrit Rietveld. As an independent architect and furniture maker, as well as a member of the De Stijl movement, Rietveld brought us some of the twentieth century’s most iconic and influential pieces of children’s furniture. The combination of design-forward function and bold primary colors highlighting form made his work truly visionary during the child-centric and design-obsessed mid-century. Although most famous for his 1923 Red Blue Chair and 1934 Zig-Zag Chair, check out some of kinder MODERN's favorite Rietveld pieces for children: 

Image from chairblog.eu

Image from chairblog.eu

High Child Chair, designed 1920, manufactured 1960s, painted wood with leather seat

Image from moma.org

Image from moma.org

Child’s Wheelbarrow, 1923, painted wood

Image from stedelijkmuseum.nl

Witteveen Convertible High Chair to Bed, 1922, painted wood

High Chair, 1944, painted wood