The Mad MAD World of Jonathan Adler is an invitation into the glamorous, witty, and wonderful universe of celebrated potter and designer Jonathan Adler. In his first curatorial role, Adler presents more than 60 works from the Museum’s permanent collection alongside his own iconic designs. A playful and irreverent perspective on craft history, the exhibition illuminates the designer’s love of objects, materials, and the makers whose legacies precede his own.
The exhibition is organized as a thematic tour of Adler’s fascinations: Authentica celebrates the sleek forms of mid-century modern ceramics; Optimistica embraces exuberance in all its forms; Funkyana and Kottler-ia explore craft’s capacity for satire and subversion; Erotica turns up the heat with sensual works in ceramic, fiber, and glass; and Americalia, Metallica, and Animalia round out the exhibition with patriotic pastiche, glimmering metalwork, and Adler’s Mother Nature-inspired menagerie.
The exhibition installation is designed by Simon Doonan, author, TV personality, legendary window dresser, former Creative Director of Barneys New York—and Adler’s husband. Works from Adler’s own studio appear throughout the exhibition, massed in striking tableaux and staged in a visual dialogue with the Museum’s collection objects. Adler has built an international reputation for his innovative approach to design, which deftly combines humor, impeccable style, and skilled craftsmanship. The exhibition marks a return to the time and place it all began—in 1993 he sold his first pots in the Museum’s store (then known as the American Craft Museum). The Mad MAD World of Jonathan Adler brings his creative journey full circle
The Mad MAD World of Jonathan Adler is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Images: (left) Jonathan Adler, Druggist Canisters. Courtesy of the designer. (right) David Gilhooly, Bread Frog as Coffee Break, 1981–82, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, gift of Rebecca Cooper Waldman through the American Craft Council, 1986.