Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Unveils New Institute, David Adjaye Receives a Prestigious Award, and More News

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From significant business changes to noteworthy product launches, there’s always something new happening in the world of design. In this biweekly roundup, AD PRO has everything you need to know.

Openings

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Debuts Taliesin Institute

Ever since its creation in 1940 by the modernist architect himself, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation has made it its mission to preserve Wright’s legacy through access to his groundbreaking work, ideas, and designs. On January 31, the organization announced its latest growth initiative: The Taliesin Institute, a program where students from architecture programs, aspiring designers, and young professions can learn through Wright’s philosophies in a selection of public classes, symposia, and workshops. Students can choose between two campuses: Taliesin and Taliesin West—helping to preserve two of the architect’s most iconic designs. Tapped to head the new institute is Dr. Jennifer Gray, a noted Wright Scholar who manages the Frank Lloyd Wright collection at Columbia University. She was also the cocurator of the MoMA exhibition on the architect’s archive. The first session will begin this summer.

Sotheby’s Collaborates with the The Invisible Collection for Frieze LA

The Invisible Collection’s longstanding partnership with Sotheby’s continues to evolve, with the two joining forces for a pop-up at Frieze LA this month. Sotheby’s will showcase a selection of contemporary designs from the furniture platform, including works from Emmanuelle Simon, Louise Liljencrantz, and other emerging makers, integrating them with historic pieces like François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne’s infamous sheep. The pop-up will run until March 19 at 350 North Camden Drive, Beverly Hills, California.

Awards

Sir David Adjaye Awarded with the First Charlotte Perriand Award

In honor of the iconic French architect and designer, the Créateurs Design Awards has debuted the new Charlotte Perriand Award. Its first recipient? Sir David Adjaye. The Ghanaian-British AD100 architect adds the honor to a long list of barrier-breaking accolades, including a knighthood for his architectural work and becoming the first Black recipient of the Royal Gold Medal.

Commissions

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Announces $40 Million Renovation Project

This week, New York City’s largest art museum shared that it is undertaking a 15,000 square-foot renovation of its Ancient Near Eastern and Cypriot Art galleries. The project aims to open up the space—currently spread across 11 galleries—to create a more engaging experience, while adding a place for contemporary discourse. “The Met’s collections of art from ancient West Asia and Cyprus are among the most comprehensive of its kind in the United States, spanning 10,000 years of art and history,” said Daniel H. Weiss, president and CEO of the museum, in a press statement. “With our stewardship of this heritage comes an institutional responsibility, which we welcome, to provide our wide audience with a way to appreciate the material that is contemporary and accessible.” The renovation will be helmed by NADAAA architects with the help of Moody Nolan. Their plans include creating architectural backdrops with materials such as clay, copper, bronze, and lapis lazuli. The new galleries are scheduled to open in 2025.

Openings

Burberry Stages a Striking Rodeo Drive Takeover

Those who are familiar with Burberry’s iconic Los Angeles flagship may no longer be quick to recognize the once neutrally-toned building. On February 10, the fashion house debuted a bubbly pink, white, and black facade, studded with amorphous shapes in honor of their 2022 Spring/Summer collection. Themed “Animal Instincts,” the installation is meant to blur the line between fantasy and reality. The story continues inside with an immersive exhibition featuring films, sculptural photography, and more. The installation will be up until March 7.

Business

IMC to Acquire Shoppe Object

International Market Centers—the company responsible for industry staples including High Point Market—announces its latest acquisition: Shoppe Object, the design-focused lifestyle and home brand with annual trade shows and a growing e-commerce platform. The shift comes along with the announcement of Shoppe Object’s cofounder, Jesse James, joining IMC as president. IMC remains the largest operator of showroom space in the industry.

Product Launches

Arte Unveils Its Latest Collection in Collaboration with Moooi

One of two collections in Arte’s Spring 2022 introductions, the Memento Moooi Collection draws inspiration from Moooi’s Museum of Extinct Animals, just as the collaborators’ inaugural collection did in 2019. Continuing the narrative, the latest launch includes six wall coverings featuring five extinct animals. But even more fantastical than its muses are the materials that bring the designs to life (in 2D form, at least): Pleated paper, gold foil, sisal, wood veneer, and textiles work together to conjure the collection’s tactile patterns and amusing scenics.

Lars Nilsson Turns to Clovers for His Latest Design Collaboration

Fashion designer turned design Renaissance man Lars Nilsson is out with his latest line of textiles. Timed just in time and part of Stockholm Design Week, the table linen and upholstery collection for heritage brand Klässbols presents clovers strewn across a delicate, diamond-patterned backdrop. With auspicious patterns like these, customers might just catch a healthy dose of luck.

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