The Museum of the City of New York is sponsoring an exhibit titled "Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future." The exhibit is open to the public now until January 10, 2010.
Saarinen, who left Finland in 1923, became one of America's greatest modernist architects. Saarinen's work includes the well-known Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri, the Trans World Airlines Terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, and the Dulles International Airport Terminal in Chantilly, Virginia. Some of his other equally fascinating architectural examples include Case Study House #9 (designed with Charles Eames) in Pacific Palisades, California, the Kresge Auditorium and Chapel at MIT, the Irwin Miller House in Columbus, Indiana, Kramer Chapel in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center. This is only a partial list of Saarinen's architectural accomplishments.
Saarinen also made an indelible mark on modern furniture design. Saarinen's Womb chair and ottoman, and his Tulip chair variations remain favorites among modern collections worldwide.
What a great post on Saarinen. I am a fan of his work and spent much time on a campus he designed way back in the 50s to re-interpret a Scandanavian Village motif: Concordia Theological Seminary, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The stark simplicity of the lines, the vertical placement of the bricks, the main courtyard surrounded by the other buildings (much like one might imagine a coastal fishing village). Indeed the genius of Saarinen is often overlooked. Thanks again.
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Great image. I like the almost space-age quality about it.
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