a whimsical chair with a woven straw backing and seat
“Have a Seat: Mexican Chair Design Today,” at the Denver Art Museum from February 18 to November 3, features Esteban Caicedo Cortes’s Palapas. Photography courtesy of Esteban Caicedo Cortes.

March 18, 2024

Words: Annie Block

Two Major Exhibits Spotlight Latin American Design

In Colorado and New York, Latin America is having a moment. In February, “Have a Seat: Mexican Chair Design Today” opened at the Denver Art Museum featuring 17 contemporary pieces from the DAM’s permanent collection. There are also historical artworks, underscoring the connection between modern-day Mexico and the country’s ancient and colonial artistic practices; the opportunity for visitors to conceive their own digital chair; and a site-specific installation by Mestiz founder, architect and textile designer Daniel Valero. “The show and these designers explore the realm where traditions and cultures converge with innovation,” says Jorge Rivas Pérez, the museum’s Frederick and Jan Mayer curator of Latin American art.

In March, “Crafting Modernity: Design in Latin America, 1940–1980” launches at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan encompassing 110 items from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela that spearheaded the development of modern domestic design in the region. “Through the study of objects and material culture, a more nuanced vision of Latin America can emerge,” explains guest curator Ana Elena Mallet, who herself is based in Mexico City.

Catch These Must-see Works at the Denver Art Museum

a whimsical chair with a woven straw backing and seat
“Have a Seat: Mexican Chair Design Today,” at the Denver Art Museum from February 18 to November 3, features works by Esteban Caicedo Cortes’s Palapas, and more. Photography courtesy of Esteban Caicedo Cortes.
a magenta chair with rainbow stripes and a plush base
Andrés Lhima’s Fidencio Sillón chair. Photography by Tania Vázquez, courtesy of Andrés Lhima.
a wooden curved armchair with raised legs
Javier Reynaga’s Milo chair. Photography courtesy of Javier Reynaga.

View Latin American Design Through the Decades at MoMA in New York

a 1970's poster of Knoll furniture in pink and red
“Crafting Modernity: Design in Latin America, 1940–1980,” at the Museum of Modern Art from March 8 through September 22, includes a circa 1970 poster of Knoll furniture by Chilean Roberto Matta, its graphic design by Argentines Guillermo González Ruiz and Roland Shakespear. Photography courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
a deep blue bowl chair from 1951
The exhibit also includes Lina Bo Bardi’s 1951 Bowl chair. Photography courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Oscar Niemeyer’s 1978 Modulo Low table is on display.
Oscar Niemeyer’s 1978 Modulo Low table is on display. Photography courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

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