Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future

May 3 - August 23, 2008

Eero Saarinen was one of the most prolific, fascinating and unorthodox masters of 20th century architecture. Famous for his simple, sweeping and arching shapes, Saarinen changed the face of domestic and industrial design in the United States by creating some of the worlds most innovative and widely recognized structures. From the 630-foot-tall, stainless steel St. Louis Gateway Arch along the Mississippi River to the swooping concrete vaults at the TWA Terminal at New Yorks John F. Kennedy Airport, Saarinen helped build an international image of the United States at the height of the Cold War. In celebration of Eero Saarinens remarkable achievements, the National Building Museum, in collaboration with the Museum of Finnish Architecture, Helsinki and the Finnish Cultural Institute, will present the first major retrospective of his work. Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future, will feature full-scale building models, never-before seen drawings, furniture, photographs, films, and other artifacts. By exploring the architects wide-ranging career from the 1930s through the early 1960s, the exhibition will be the first opportunity to fully understand Saarinens collective work. Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future and the accompanying catalog will be the first public unveiling of the architects complete archives, the largest repository of Saarinen-related material in the world, which was donated to Yale University in 2002. Previously unknown projects, personal documents and other items have been discovered in this material and shed light on Saarinens complex story. In addition, the exhibition and catalogue will draw upon other rich collections from institutions such as the Cranbrook Archives in Michigan, the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and the corporate archives of Saarinens clients.

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Philip Johnson: Architecture as art

March 14 - July 31.2008

Philip Johnson: Architecture as Art will showcase the relationship between art and architecture as seen by Philip Johnson (1906-2005) in his late works. Notably, Johnson was the architect who designed The Kreeger Museum. Curated by Hilary Lewis, a longtime interpreter of Johnson's life and work, the exhibition will present visitors with the final and fascinating chapter of his long career. From structured, twisting forms that may remind some viewers of the current work of Santiago Calatrava, to softer, curving expressions produced in chain-link, fiberglass or concrete, Johnson and his firm Philip Johnson/Alan Ritchie Architects produced work in the 1990s and 2000s that was often not only sculptured architecture, but also sculpture itself. An individual who continually appreciated the lure of monuments, Johnson experimented with such structures during this period, producing numerous designs, many of which were never fully fabricated. This segment of Johnson's architectural portfolio is one of the most powerful expressions of his lifelong commitment to architecture as art, which contrasts boldly with the approach of many other prominent architects of his generation. Using documentation based on her close working relationship with Johnson, Lewis will provide visitors with Johnson's direct commentary on these projects and structures, which reveal a side of this renowned architect that may surprise those that have become accustomed to Johnson as the creator of The Glass House and the AT&T Building, but not as the generator of monumental clocks and obelisk-like markers for commercial developments. Visitors to the exhibition will have an opportunity to examine this fertile, and until this time, unpublicized period of Johnson's portfolio. A number of projects presented are still in process at Philip Johnson/Alan Ritchie Architects including the Cathedral of Hope for Dallas, Texas and the Habitable Sculpture, a concept for combining sculpture with residences designed for Antonio Nino Vendome. Johnson was influenced strongly by works of art, from paintings to sculpture. Art from Johnson's own collection, including works by Andy Warhol and Frank Stella, will be on display along with a combination of models, drawings, sculpture and photographs.

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