The Curated Object

Exhibitions Denver. Olivetti: Innovation & Identity. The Denver Art Museum. The Curated Object

Giovanni Pintori, Olivetti Lexikon Elettrica, 1936. Gift of Keith Shaver, and Giovanni Pintori, Olivetti Lettera 22, 1950. Gift of Keith Shaver.

 

Olivetti: Innovation & Identity

through November 30, 2011

Olivetti: Innovation and Identity showcases the Italian company's groundbreaking approach to product design and promotion. After World War II, Olivetti's quality office machines and distinctive advertising graphics helped establish Italy’s reputation as the cradle of modern design. The company's graphic designers, architects, artists, writers, and advertising experts took an active part in the design of not only the company’s products and advertisements, but also the visual appearance of its showrooms and corporate architecture.

“Design is a question of substance, not just form,” said Adriano Olivetti, who pioneered the company’s unique approach. “It’s a tool a company uses through its products, graphics, and architecture to convey an image that is not just simply appearance but a tangible reflection of a way of being and operating.”

For more information please visit: The Denver Art Museum 

 

Exhibitions Denver. Gee’s Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt. The Denver Art Museum. The Curated Object

GB 02 “Bricklayer” – sampler variation, 1958, by Loretta Pettway, American, born 1942. Cotton and corduroy; 82 x 78 in. Collection of the Tinwood Alliance. Photo: Stephen Pitkin, Pitkin Studio, Rockford, Il.


GB 09 “Housetop” variation, 2003, by Louisiana P. Bendolph, American, born 1960. Cotton and cotton blends; 97-1/2 x 66-3/4 in. Collection of the Tinwood Alliance. Photo: Stephen Pitkin, Pitkin Studio, Rockford, Il.


GB 14 "Roman Stripes" variation, 1975, by Willie “Ma Willie” Abrams, American, 1879-1987. Corduroy; 85-1/2 x 70-1/2 in. Collection of the Tinwood Alliance. Photo: Stephen Pitkin, Pitkin Studio, Rockford, Il.


GB 17 "Broken Star" variation, 1925, by Magdalene Wilson, American, 1898-2001. Cotton, wool and silk; 97 x 79 in. Collection of the Tinwood Alliance. Photo: Stephen Pitkin, Pitkin Studio, Rockford, Il.

GB 19 “Basket Weave,” 1973, by Nettie Jane Kennedy, American, 1916-2002. Corduroy; 80 x 79-1/2 in. Collection of the Tinwood Alliance. Photo: Stephen Pitkin, Pitkin Studio, Rockford, Il.


GB 26 "Blocks, strips, strings, and half squares," 2005, by Mary Lee Bendolph, American, born 1935. Cotton; 84 x 81 in. Collection of the Tinwood Alliance. Photo: Stephen Pitkin, Pitkin Studio, Rockford, Il.


GB 29 "Bricklayer" variation, 1975, by Qunnie Pettway, American, born 1943. Corduroy; 80-3/4 x 69-3/4 in. Collection of the Tinwood Alliance. Photo: Stephen Pitkin, Pitkin Studio, Rockford, Il.


GB 35 "Housetop" variation, 1982, by Gearldine Westbrook, American, born 1919. Corduroy and cotton; 92 x 80 in. Collection of the Tinwood Alliance. Photo: Stephen Pitkin, Pitkin Studio, Rockford, Il.


GB 43 "Housetop," 2003, by Nancy Pettway, American, b. 1935. Corduroy and cotton twill; 68-1/2 x 71 in. Collection of the Tinwood Alliance. Photo: Stephen Pitkin, Pitkin Studio, Rockford, Il.


GB 66 "Medallion," 2005, by Loretta P. Bennett, American, b. 1960. Cotton and twill; 90 x 62-1/2 in. Collection of the Tinwood Alliance. Photo: Stephen Pitkin, Pitkin Studio, Rockford, Il.

Gee’s Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt
April 13-July 7, 2008

For generations, African American women in an isolated farming community at a bend in the Alabama River made quilts from old work clothes, recycled fabrics, or scraps used by the Freedom Quilting Bee cooperative. Boldly combining color, form, and texture in unexpected ways, these quiltmakers integrated everyday materials like corduroy and denim to create utilitarian quilts that are now heralded as significant contemporary artworks.

Gee's Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt tells the moving human stories behind these quilts—stories about the intertwined roles of community and family, environmental inspirations, and the artistic process.

Fore more information please visit: The Denver Art Museum

-Joanne Molina