AT THE WAC: Eero Saarinen (American, born Finland, 1910 – 1961), Patent drawing for pedestal chairs, June 7, 1960, courtesy Eero Saarinen Collection, Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University

« previous 4 of 7

Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future

Saturday, September 13, 2008—Sunday, January 4, 2009
U.S. Bank Gallery
Free Exhibition

This exhibition is part of a comprehensive project that explores the work of one of the most prolific, unorthodox, and controversial modern masters of 20th-century architecture and design. Finnish-born Saarinen (1910-1961) is best known for such modern icons as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (Gateway Arch) in St. Louis, Missouri (designed 1948, completed 1964), the Trans World Airlines Terminal at JFK Airport in New York City, and Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia (both completed 1962). Saarinen’s presence in the Midwest is very strong, with his creation of corporate campuses for General Motors (Technical Center, Warren, Michigan, completed 1956) and IBM (Rochester, Minnesota, completed 1959), as well as churches and campus projects, including his collaboration with his famous architect/father, Eliel, on Christ Church Lutheran in Minneapolis, Minnesota (1949). By examining the architect’s entire output of more than 50 built and proposed projects, "Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future" will be the first opportunity to understand Saarinen’s collective work in the larger context of postwar modern architecture. It will also address his sculptural furniture, including the famous “Womb” chair Eero designed in 1948 for Knoll.

In this collaborative presentation, the Walker Art Center will feature Saarinen's furnishings and residences as well as his designs for churches and academic and corporate campuses, while the Minneapolis Institute of Arts will present his designs for airports, memorials, and embassies, as well as his early work within the context of its modernist design collection.

This exhibition is organized by the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York, the Museum of Finnish Architecture, Helsinki, and the National Building Museum, Washington, D.C., with the support of the Yale University School of Architecture.

ASSA ABLOY is the global sponsor of the exhibition.

Additional support is provided by Autodesk, Florence Knoll Bassett, Agnes Gund and Daniel Shapiro, Elise Jaffe and Jeffrey Brown, Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates, Jeffrey Klein, Earle I. Mack, the Ministry of Education, Finland, Marvin Suomi, and anonymous donors.

Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future is co-presented in Minneapolis by the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Major support for the Minneapolis presentation is provided by Judy Dayton. Additional support provided by Megan and James Dayton. Media partner Mpls.St.Paul Magazine.

Lead local sponsor