Maira Kalman Selects
This exhibition was on display from December 12, 2014 to June 07, 2015.
Some objects in this exhibition may not be viewable on the website due to copyright or other usage restrictions, or because there is no digitized image for the object.
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Welcome.
This room contains objects I chose from Cooper Hewitt's collection and several I borrowed from the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, along with a few of my own sprinkled in.
What is this room about?
Very loosely, it is about life and death.
But isn’t everything?
It is about falling in love with a group of objects. About the ephemera of history with bits of information about how people lived. It is a room that recognizes that many of the most important memories in your life will be populated by the most seemingly unimportant objects. A chair. A bowl.
It is about the preciousness of time. Elusive. Fragile. The unpredictability of it all. The comfort derived within the unpredictability. The joy derived from comfort. These objects are brave and beautiful. They have survived and are here to tell you something.
What should you do here?
If you are plagued with doubts or troubles, or are in need of a respite, just sit there and stare into space and listen to the silence. That is more than enough.
Or maybe someone will come into the room and sing a song about a spoon. Any songs you hear, about spoons or otherwise, are composed by the brilliant Nico Muhly. You never know. This was, in fact, once the music room in the mansion, when people lived here and had arguments in the kitchen (perhaps about overcooked peas).
If you are curious, have a look at the objects.
To wander about in a room in a museum is to have the fluttery feeling of discovery and potential. A quickening of the pulse. That is a great feeling. Excitement! Inspiration!
But my advice is not to think too much.
Unless it pleases you.
And a walk in Central Park might be the perfect finale to a day in a museum.
—Maira Kalman
Maira Kalman Selects is made possible by the Marks Family Foundation Endowment Fund.
- Square (Egypt)
- wool.
- Gift of John Pierpont Morgan.
- 1902-1-72
- This object is part of the Textiles collection.
- Dancer, from the Table Centerpiece "The Scarf Dance" Sculpture
- biscuit porcelain.
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John W. Alexander.
- 1910-41-1
- This object was made by Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory.
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- Pair Of Stockings (France)
- silk.
- Gift of Mrs. William P. Treadwell.
- 1916-33-205-a,b
- This object is part of the Textiles collection.
- Wine Glass Rinser (England)
- glazed earthenware.
- Bequest of Erskine Hewitt.
- 1938-57-425
- This object was made by Wedgwood.
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- Patrician Goblet
- mold-blown muslin glass.
- Gift of Elisha Dyer.
- 1941-3-6
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Sampler (Mexico)
- linen and silk embroidery, linen foundation.
- Bequest of Mrs. Henry E. Coe.
- 1941-69-132
- This object is part of the Textiles collection.
- Cup and Saucer (One of a Pair) Cup And Saucer
- soft paste porcelain, vitreous enamel, gold.
- Gift of Mrs. Morris Hawkes.
- 1942-25-20-a,c
- This object was made by Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory.
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Sampler (USA)
- linen.
- Gift of Mrs. Gino Speranza.
- 1942-47-7
- Print, Writing Example from Spieghel der Schrijfkonste. Tweede Deel (The...
- engraving on laid paper.
- Gift of William J. Donald.
- 1954-18-30
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Bowl (Persia, Kashan)
- glazed earthenware.
- Museum purchase through gift of Georgiana L. McClellan.
- 1956-109-2
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- Pair Of Breeches (France)
- silk, linen lining.
- Gift of International Business Machines Corp..
- 1960-88-9-b
- Lamp Shade (France)
- rolled parchment, velvet (edging).
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Forsythe Sherfesee.
- 1968-144-21
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Sample, Giant Mikado
- wool warp, cotton weft.
- Gift of Alexander H. Girard.
- 1969-165-26
- This object was made by American Art Textile Printing Company, Inc. and Herman Miller Furniture Company.
- This object is part of the Textiles collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Kantharos (Italy)
- earthenware.
- Gift of Ruth Vollmer.
- 1971-48-13
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- Manuscript, Jeremiah Draper's Book
- pen and black ink on laid paper.
- Gift of Thomas Strahan Company.
- 1976-48-61-2
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 5 images of this object.
- Swan Princess Figurine
- molded, enameled, and gilt porcelain.
- The Henry and Ludmilla Shapiro Collection; Partial gift and partial purchase....
- 1989-41-182
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Firebird Figurine
- molded, enameled porcelain.
- The Henry and Ludmilla Shapiro Collection; Partial gift and partial purchase....
- 1989-41-184
- This object was made by Lomonosov Porcelain Factory.
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- Bracelet (Netherlands)
- bent steel wire.
- Museum purchase from Decorative Arts Association Acquisition Fund.
- 1993-114-3
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 4 images of this object.
- Zig-Zag Chair
- joined and painted elm.
- Museum purchase from Decorative Arts Association Acquisition Fund.
- 1994-60-1
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 10 images and 1 video of this object.
- Textile, Campagna
- linen.
- Gift of Nicholas A. Pappas, FAIA.
- 2002-14-2
- Handkerchief, In Memoriam
- cotton.
- Gift of Paul F. Walter.
- 2008-21-1
- This object is part of the Textiles collection.
- Book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass
- printed paper.
- Gift of Kent C. Boese, PR4611 .A7 1899; Courtesy of the Smithsonian....
- 28.2012.2
- Book, Winnie-the-Pooh
- printed paper.
- PR6025 . I65W5 1926; Courtesy of the Smithsonian Libraries, Washington, DC.
- 28.2012.3
- Book, Peter Parley's Primer
- printed paper.
- Gift of Mr. Lea S. Luquer, PE1119.A1 G66 1835; Courtesy of the Smithsonian....
- 28.2012.9
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Pair Of Slippers (USA)
- label: leather sole and upper, linen lining, silk bows .
- Gift of Mrs. Robert P. Brown.
- 1960-81-18-a,b
- This object is part of the Textiles collection.
- Mount
- cast and gilt bronze.
- Gift of Mrs. George B. McClellan.
- 1907-3-13
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- Spoon (USA)
- silver.
- Gift of Thomas S. Tibbs.
- 1959-181-1
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Mourning Sampler (England)
- silk embroidery on silk foundation.
- Gift of Anonymous Donor from the Fraser/Martin Collection.
- 1974-100-30
- Teapot With Infuser And Lid (Germany)
- mold-blown glass.
- Museum purchase from General Acquisition Endowment.
- 1987-8-1-a/c
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Bulb Lamp
- mold-blown glass, chrome-plated metal, incandescent bulb.
- Gift of Ingo Maurer.
- 2008-16-1-a,b
- This object was made by Ingo Maurer GmbH.
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Calligraphy, Certificate of Authorization for the Title of "Von" for Johann...
- pen and ink, brush and watercolor over engraving on vellum, bound in....
- Museum purchase through gift of Erskine Hewitt.
- 1962-194-1
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 4 images of this object.
- Kylix (Greece)
- painted earthenware.
- Gift of Ruth Vollmer.
- 1971-48-12
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- Cap (Egypt)
- untwisted silk, gilded parchment; z-spun linen lining.
- Museum purchase through gift of Anonymous Donor.
- 1949-64-7
- Pants, Toscanini's
- wool.
- Purchased at auction from the Toscanini Estate; Courtesy of Maira Kalman.
- 7.2013.1
- Shoes, The Shoes That Slow Down Time
- rubber sole and leather upper.
- Purchased at a thrift store not far from Sissinghurst Castle, Kent, England;....
- 7.2013.2a,b