Arts and Crafts Movement Explored at LACMA

LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

:The sweeping range of the international Arts and Crafts movement is explored in a landmark exhibition "The Arts and Crafts Movement in Europe and America, 1880-1920: Design for the Modern World." Illustrated through 300 iconic objects from the Arts and Crafts period, the exhibition brings together examples culled from more than 75 American and European public and private collections. Currently on view at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), it is up through April 3.

This groundbreaking exhibit explores one of the most influential design movements ever against a variety of international interpretations, examining the influences and factors of each. The overall organization is geographic - the Arts and Crafts movement first took hold in the United Kingdom and spread quickly to Germany, Austria, Hungary, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, France and the United States. Although the movement spread as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, Russia and Japan, the show focuses on its roots in northern Europe and the United States. Many of the impressive objects on view have never before been seen in the United States.

Putting the exhibition together was a Herculean effort. Speaking before the opening, curator and Arts and Crafts scholar Wendy Kaplan laughed, "I'm surprised I'm still standing!"