Program Information Date:  September 13, 2008 - January 4, 2009 Place:  Target Gallery View all associated images View this program in the Walker Calendar
		Image: Saarinen Tulip Chair Photo courtesy Knoll Inc.

The Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts jointly present this first major museum retrospective of architect Eero Saarinen’s short but prolific career. Saarinen was one of the most celebrated, unorthodox, and controversial masters of 20th-century architecture. In many ways he was the architect of what has been dubbed “the American century,” the post-World War II era when the United States emerged as an influential world superpower.

Although Saarinen’s most iconic and publicly recognizable design is the soaring Gateway Arch in St. Louis, his work spanned many different areas of architectural practice, including the design of airports, corporate and academic campuses, churches and private residences, and furniture. Although criticized by his peers at the time for having a different style for each project, Saarinen rejected the dogma of an orthodox modernism and instead adopted a varied approach to architectural design, letting the subject and site guide his inventive solutions. His resulting body of work includes such masterpieces as the sweeping concrete curves of the TWA Terminal (1956–1962) at New York’s JFK Airport; the grandeur of General Motors Technical Center (1948–1956), dubbed an “industrial Versailles” by the media; and the iconic Womb Chair and Ottoman (1946–1948) or the innovative Pedestal (1954–1957) series of tables and chairs, both for Knoll and all classics of mid-century modernism.

Featured in the exhibition are never-before-seen sketches, working drawings, models, photographs, furnishings, films, and other ephemera from various archives and private collections. Exploring his entire output of more than 50 built and unbuilt projects, it provides a unique opportunity to consider Saarinen’s innovations in the use of new materials, technologies, and construction techniques within the larger context of postwar modern architecture.

In this collaborative presentation, the Walker Art Center will feature Saarinen’s furnishings and residences as well as his designs for churches and academic and corporate campuses, while the Minneapolis Institute of Arts will present his designs for airports, memorials, and embassies, as well as his early work within the context of its modernist design collection.

A catalogue accompanies the exhibition.

Curator: Donald Albrecht, independent curator and curator of architecture and design at the
Museum of the City of New York

Walker Coordinating Curator: Andrew Blauvelt

Minneapolis Institute of Arts Coordinating Curator: Jennifer Komar Olivarez, Associate
Curator of Architecture, Design, Decorative Arts, Craft & Sculpture

This exhibition is organized by the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York, the Museum of Finnish Architecture, Helsinki, and the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., with the support of the Yale University School of Architecture.

ASSA ABLOY is the global sponsor of Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future.

Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future is copresented in Minneapolis by the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Major support for the Minneapolis presentation is provided by Judy Dayton. Additional support provided by Megan and James Dayton. Media partner Mpls.St.Paul Magazine.

Lead local sponsor

	Family Program Styled by Saarinen Free First Saturday Saturday, January 3, 2009   10:00 am to 3:00 pm
	Workshop Light Manipulators Thursday, December 4, 2008, 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Thursday, December 11, 2008, 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
	Tour Double-Feature Tours of Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future Friday, November 7, 2008, Sunday, November 16, 2008, Saturday, December 6, 2008
	Workshop Teaching by Design Eero Saarinen Teacher Workshop Saturday, October 25, 2008   10:00 am to 3:00 pm
	Family Program Target Family Day: Think Big! Presented by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts Sunday, October 12, 2008   11:00 am to 5:00 pm
	Symposium Eero Saarinen: Beyond the Measly ABC Co-Presented by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts Friday, October 10, 2008   7:00 pm
	Special Event Third Thursday: Mad for Mod Presented by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts Thursday, September 18, 2008   6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
	Lecture Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future Presented by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts Sunday, September 14, 2008   2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
	Exhibition Preview Party Walker After Hours/Preview Party Friday, September 12, 2008   9:00 pm to 12:00 am

Slate on Saarinen http://blogs.walkerart.org/design/2008/07/02/slate-saarinen/ Walker blogs, Design: Bulletin Board

Eero Saarinen or Disneyland? http://blogs.walkerart.org/offcenter/2008/08/06/eero-saarinen-disneyland/ Walker blogs, Off Center: Architecture

How cool are you in the local art scene? http://blogs.walkerart.org/offcenter/2008/09/04/cool-local-art-scene/ Walker blogs, Off Center: Around the Twin Cities

My favorite landmark in SimCity 3000 http://blogs.walkerart.org/offcenter/2008/09/05/favorite-landmark-simcity-3000/ Walker blogs, Off Center: General

Coming soon: Ballast http://blogs.walkerart.org/filmvideo/2008/10/01/coming-ballast/ Walker blogs, Film / Video: Coming soon

Saarinen, Target, and the Art of Good Design http://blogs.walkerart.org/design/2008/10/24/saarinen-target-and-the-art-of-good-design/ Walker blogs, Design: Interviews

I want a Sunken Space http://blogs.walkerart.org/teens/2008/11/13/i-want-a-sunken-space-2/ Walker blogs, Teen Programs and WACTAC: Uncategorized

Larry Yazzie: Sharing the Gift http://blogs.walkerart.org/ecp/2008/12/25/larry-yazzie-sharing-the-gift/ Walker blogs, Education and Community Programs: General

Free First Saturday http://blogs.walkerart.org/ecp/2009/01/06/free-first-saturday/ Walker blogs, Education and Community Programs: General