Material ConneXion Presents First Retrospective of Seminal Designer Neal Small
March 30, 2009 | Levent OZLER
Material ConneXion will celebrate the opening of its New York City headquarters with the first retrospective of work by seminal American designer Neal Small.
Renowned for his pioneering use of materials such as Plexiglas and Lucite to create furniture, lighting, home accessories and even sculpture, Small's work is included in such prominent collections as The Museum of Modern Art, The Smithsonian Institution and the Walker Art Center.
Featuring several important loans from private collections, this retrospective presents a rare look at Small's most iconic designs from the '60's and '70's.
Hailed as the "Prince of Plastic" by The New York Times, Neal Small can be credited with helping to ignite the craze for plastic furniture that swept the nation more than forty years ago.
The self-trained designer and one-man operation, who conceived, manufactured and sold his innovative creations to high-end department and specialty stores straight from his New York City studio, was said by New York Magazine to have been responsible for "almost single-handedly supplying the market with quantities of excellent (plastic) design."
"We are honored to inaugurate our new corporate headquarters with an exhibition of work by this influential designer," commented Material ConneXion Founder & CEO George M. Beylerian.
"Neal Small transformed a largely unexplored, industrial material into modern and exciting products that inspired a generation of home furnishings, and his accomplishments are a true testament to Material ConneXion's mission of advancing new design solutions through the use of innovative materials."
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