Dining by Design: Silver 1925–2000

Newfields hours

Despite the fact that most Americans decided using silver was too much trouble in an age of automatic dishwashers and tiny houses, 20th-century designers and craftsmen produced a glistening array of objects that can still enchant the eye. This exhibition will walk you through the history and development of modern American silver, and show how casual dining and cocktail parties changed the industry, and the tradition of dining in the American home in the 20th century. The silver featured will be on display on the second floor of the Lilly House, where the setting of the home will provide more context for the artworks presented. Guests will see a progression of style, from the art deco era to space-age modern and beyond.

March 22 - October 20, 2019

Indianapolis Museum of Art Galleries at Newfields

Included with admission

Plan your visit

Michael Graves, designer (American, 1934–2015), Officina Alessi, manufacturer (Italian, est. 1921), Tea & Coffee Piazza, designed 1980–1983, made 2010, sterling silver, lacquered aluminum, polyamide, Bakelite, and crystal, various dimensions. Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Gift in honor of Joyce A. Sommers with funds provided by V. Simon Abraham, Lee and Dorothy Alig, Ruthelen Burns, William J. and Vickie Cafaro, Robert M. Davis, Scott Evenbeck, Russell and Penny B. Fortune, William L. Fortune Jr. and Joseph D. Blakely, Mark M. and Carmen S. Holeman, John David Hoover, Frederick M. King, Kay F. Koch, James E. and Patricia J. LaCrosse, Catharine D. Lichtenauer, Katherine C. Nagler, Nancy J. Ramsey, George J. Seybert, Trent Spence, James A. and Cheryl S. Strain, James P. and Anna S. White, Design Arts Society Fund, 2011.2.1-.5A-C © Michael Graves.