At the turn of the 20th century, societies were experiencing an immense amount of change–a period largely accepted as the catalyst for modernism and modern art. New technologies and innovations such as laminates and flexible materials made it possible for artists to explore more organic forms and designs. Art historian and curator of the landmark exhibition of modern art Cubism and Abstract Art (1936) Alfred H. Barr introduced the term “biomorphic” to specifically respond to such emanations of the natural world in modern art and design. Examples of modernist furniture design and sculpture now on view at LSU MOA display the differing ways in which modernism and biomorphism influenced various disciplines in art.

The Art of Seating & Modernist Furniture 

Currently on view at LSU MOA  is The Art of Seating: Two Hundred Years of American Design, an exhibition that traces the history of furniture design and related movements over the last 200 years. 

Two chairs in the exhibition are perfect examples of modernist furniture, which prioritized both aesthetics and comfort. 

Herbert Von Thaden’s Adjustable Lounge Chair, made of laminated birch and brass (pictured above left), illustrates the ingenuity of Thaden and modernist innovations. These materials are traditionally inflexible and uncomfortable; however, Thaden found a way to make this material flexible and resilient, a key tenet of modernist art. 

A comparable example (pictured above right), the ‘LCW’ (Lounge Chair Wood) made by husband and wife Charles and Ray Eames, is one of the most celebrated chair designs of the 20th century. Building upon John Henry Belter’s expired 18th century patent for using heat and pressure to bend laminated wood, the Eameses are known for their reinvention of this technology, which resulted in a more biomorphic modernist style chair. Aesthetically, the chair is also zoomorphic, meaning that its head, seat, spine and legs are separated, creating an almost animated effect.

Art in Louisiana and Modernist Sculpture 

Modernist sculptors became more interested in design, form, and volume over the traditional hyperrealistic sculptures of the past. As a result, many of their sculptures became more abstract instead of geometric, and more idealistic than realistic.  Two new works on view in Art in Louisiana’s Modern and Contemporary gallery truly reflect modernist sculptural practices. 

Leo Amino’s Figure (1946 / pictured above) is a perfect example of Amino’s signature style. Amino rejected the Japanese and American sculptural traditions. By doing this, he challenges our understanding of American avant-garde history and what we perceive to be American, Asian, and Asian American art. 

Amino opted for a more experimentalist approach due to his belief that the aesthetics and the mechanics of art were inseparable. As the title suggests, Figure is reminiscent of the human figure, yet challenges our ideas of visibility and invisibility and internal and external. Figure is carved from Bakelite, which is regarded as the first modern synthetic plastic and was incredibly popular during this time because of its flexibility, durability, and sleekness. Both the aesthetics and materiality of this sculpture are markers of modernist mentalities. 

Albert LaVergne’s Untitled sculpture (c.1990 / pictured above) is also a great example of the modernist mindset, though it came several decades later. Like many modernist sculptors, LaVergne often utilizes non-traditional materials in sculpture, mostly metals.  LaVergne utilized metal because he loved the directness and resistance of metal to change. The fusing and molding of metals is also an allusion of his memories of playing with clay as a child and watching the women in his family stitch quilts together. This rhythmic sculpture is asymmetrically balanced and looks as if it defies the laws of gravity. LaVergne emphasizes the way in which material and space can invoke emotions within the viewers. LaVergne found his inspiration in African American contemporaries rather than the Western art historical canon; many of them were his teachers and mentors, such as Jean Paul Hubbard and John T. Scott.

View these chairs and sculptures today at the LSU Museum of Art. The Art of Seating: Two Hundred Years of American Design is on view until June 6, 2021 and Art in Louisiana: Views into the Collection is an ongoing exhibition of works from the LSU MOA permanent collection.

Written by Kirsten Campbell, LSU MOA Graduate Assistant

LSU MOA thanks Louisiana CAT for supporting graduate assistantships. Their support allows the museum to provide arts education and career experience to students.