Josef and Anni Albers changed residential interiors forever. When the German-born, Bauhaus-educated artists emigrated to the United States in 1933, they brought a holistic view of design incorporating bold new notions about color, material, and texture. Not content to work within the traditional boundaries of fine art, they created everyday household objects of lasting beauty and functionality.
A new exhibit at the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York City will showcase the husband-and-wife pair’s talents. “Josef and Anni Albers: Designs for Living” encompasses furniture, tabletop items, and record album covers by Josef Albers. From Anni Albers’ textile-heavy oeuvre, the exhibit displays wall hangings, jewelry, upholstery, and draperies. For information on the show, which runs from Oct. 1, 2004 through Feb. 27, 2005, visit www.cooperhewitt.org.