Friedman Benda’s presentation at TEFAF 2026 is anchored by an early example of Gerrit Rietveld’s Red Blue Chair. This icon of modernism, at once rigorous and inventive, combines the logic of a manifesto with an imaginative leap into what design could become.
A similar radical sense of potential is evident throughout our exhibition, beginning with early statements by John Chamberlain and Wendell Castle. Each would go on to lead their discipline, and their works – comparable in their structural abstraction – can be seen as confident declarations of intent. A foundational object by Japanese ceramist Suzuki Osamu embodies the energy that was unleashed in the medium at that time and continues to the present, as in recent work here by Nicole Cherubini.
Modernism was never a single, coherent movement; it was rather a groundswell that opened up a wide terrain of new possibilities. Rietveld was a direct inspiration for Shiro Kuramata, whose important chairs from the Soseikan Yamaguchi House are shown for the first time in New York. Likewise, the relationship between technology and design – a central concern of the pioneering modernists – is extended in Joris Laarman’s Ply Loop furniture, with its exuberant demonstration of innovative procedure and intensive craft.
Over time, modernism’s legacy refracted into countless facets. The works shown here, by artists, architects and designers from Japan (nendo), Mexico (Frida Escobedo), the Netherlands, the UK (Samuel Ross, Faye Toogood) and the USA, reflect this diversity. They are remarkably different in form, materiality, and expression, yet all can be understood as furthering the avant garde project. Collectively, they demonstrate that modernism remains a vital framework of reference: not only for the clarity of its vision, but also its freedom of expression.
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Park Avenue Armory
643 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065
Invitation Only: May 14
Public: May 15 – 18, 11am – 7pm
Public: May 19, 11am – 6pm
