The Art of Seating: Two Hundred Years of American Design

What, after all, is a chair? A place at the family table, a worksite, a plush refuge as evening descends, a symbol of power. In the LSU Museum of Art's newest exhibition, The Art of Seating: Two Hundred Years of American Design, the seat becomes the centerpiece. Selections from the Thomas H. And Diane DeMell Jacobsen Ph.D. Foundation present a journey of furniture design going back to the mid-1800s, featuring showstoppers by John Henry Belter, George Hunzinger, the Herter Brothers, Frank Lloyd Wright, and many more. Viewers can also peruse contemporary and historic designs by some of the country's most recognizable manufacturers, including Knoll, Herman Miller, and Steelcase. A standout in the collection is a 1857 House of Representatives Chamber Arm Chair designed by Thomas U. Walter, which is an example of the chairs used in the halls of Congress, recognizable from portraits of leaders like Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. 

The exhibition will be supplemented by a special exhibition feature from the LSU Museum of Art's permanent collection, which will expand the period of chair design to the 18th century's Rococo and Baroque periods. 

lsumoa.org