Teaching materials commissioned by Maria Montessori. 1920s. Manufactured by Baroni e Marangon, Gonzaga, Italy (est. 1911). Collection of Maurizio Marzadori, Bologna
MoMA is presenting the first large-scale overview of the modernist preoccupation with children and childhood. The exhibition brings together areas underrepresented in design history and often considered separately, including school architecture, clothing, playgrounds, toys and games, children’s hospitals and safety equipment, nurseries, furniture, and books.
Ladislav Sutnar (American, born Bohemia [now Czech Republic]. 1897–1976). Build the Town building blocks. 1940–43. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Ctislav Sutnar and Radoslav Sutnar.
The exhibition examines individual and collective visions for the material world of children, from utopian dreams for the “citizens of the future” to the dark realities of political conflict and exploitation. In this period children have been central to the concerns, ambitions, and activities of modern architects and designers both famous and unsung, and working specifically for children has often provided unique freedom and creativity to the avant-garde.
Jean Prouvé (French, 1901–1984). School desk. 1946. Manufactured by Ateliers Jean Prouvé, Nancy. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Dorothy Cullman Purchase Fund
The exhibition brings together over 500 items, ranging from urban-planning projects to small design objects by celebrated designers and lesser-known figures, Century of the Child brings together a number of areas underrepresented in design history: school architecture, playgrounds, toys and games, animation, clothing, safety equipment and therapeutic products, nurseries, furniture, and books.
Gerrit Rietveld (Dutch, 1888–1964). Child’s wheelbarrow. 1923. Manufactured by Gerard van de Groenekan IN 1958. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. © 2012 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / Beeldrecht, Amsterdam
Ford convertible toy car with original box. c. 1956. Manufactured by Marusan Shoten Ltd., Tokyo (est. 1947). Subaru 360 toy car with original box. c. 1963. Manufactured by Bandai, Tokyo (est. 1950). Bruce Sterling Collection, New York
Minka Podhájská (Czechoslovak, born Moravia [now Czech Republic], 1881–1963). Series of Personifications of Childhood Misdeeds. 1930. Museum of Decorative Arts, Prague
Froebel Gift No. 2: Sphere, Cylinder, and Cube. c. 1890. Manufactured by J. L. Hammett Co., Braintree, Massachusetts (est. 1863). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Lawrence Benenson, 2011
Exhibition: Century of the Child: Growing by Design, 1900-2000
From July 29 to November 5, 2012
The Museum of Modern Art, The Joan and Preston Robert Tisch Exhibition Gallery, sixth floor
New York, NY 10019, USA
tags: 
Intrada, on July 30: 
Shawn, on August 30: 
This is fabulous - must make it my business to get down to NY this fall! I am interested in seeing how much contemporary work is exhibited. I have always been impressed by European playgrounds (having spent childhood summers "assessing" quite a few of them), and today's European designers continue to create very special places for our children, such as these playgrounds in Denmark: www.smart-urban-stage.com/blog... I think it's fantastic that MoMA is drawing wider attention to this area of design (perhaps following the example of the V&A Museum of Childhood).