Join us Martin Luther King, Jr Weekend
Jan 18-20, 2025
Before Art Deco took hold, the Mediterranean Revival architectural style put southeastern Florida on the map. This style, now taken for granted in Florida, was revolutionary at its introduction in the 1920s. For northerners accustomed to the Beaux Art behemoths of New York or Boston, the colorful tilework and shaded courtyards in the "magic city" […]
Following the landmark 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, Art Deco blossomed, transforming everything from skyscrapers and cars to teacups and everyday objects. Art historian Madeleine Deschamps will explore a design movement mirroring a society in flux, balancing exuberance with social change in France and the United States. Organized by Wolfsonian-FIU […]
The 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, the birthplace of Art Deco, introduced a groundbreaking design style characterized by bold geometric shapes, symmetry, and sleek stylization. Originating in France, Art Deco spread worldwide, evolving to reflect regional influences and aesthetics. The Wolfsonian's chief curator, Silvia Barisione, will journey us through this […]
The City of Opa-locka is Miami-Dade County's eighth oldest municipality, founded in 1926 by American aviator and inventor Glenn Curtiss. A city built in the theme of Arabian Nights and with an architectural motif known today as Moorish Revival, a new movement has taken hold to identify, resurrect, and preserve landmarks from the past through […]
Every great civilization, from the Ancient Greeks to the Egyptians, Sumerians, and Norse had their gods, villains, and heroes. These millennia-old stories of love, violence, honor, and betrayal passed people’s beliefs about themselves to subsequent generations. They were altered through incalculable tellings to better fit changing norms and political ends, but the core messages remained. […]
Based on her just-published memoir, Dwell Time, conservator Rosa Lowinger discusses preserving modern tropical buildings in Miami and Havana. From mosaics, murals, and decorative cast stone to terracotta and ironwork, Lowinger will show how repairing the key elements of 20th-century tropical architecture serves as a metaphor for personal healing after loss, particularly the loss of one's […]
Often one story tall and built of concrete block—with a large screened-in porch, Florida room (more commonly known today as a sunroom), louvered windows, and carport—the Florida House became a popular vernacular form in South Florida after the Second World War. Not simply the result of builders copying designs by known architects like Igor Polevitzky […]
The Wolfsonian–FIU is a treasure trove of materials from the period 1850–1950, gathered from near and far. From the "frozen fountain" that once served as the facade of the Norris Theater in Pennsylvania to a Miami River bridge tender's house, many of the architectural features in the building have been repurposed to serve a new […]
In the early 20th century, maps played a central role in the development of modern Florida—going beyond the logistics of guiding tourists, investors, and other northerners on their routes to the Sunshine State. Wolfsonian curator Lea Nickless will show how maps were crucial for the promotion of Florida as a premier destination for sunshine and […]
In the 1920s and '30s, social dancing was more popular in America than at any other time in history. Dancing happened almost anywhere people got together, infused with the same modern spirit that animated the art and architecture of the period. The popularity of dance created a vast infrastructure to support it, from sumptuous dance […]
During the height of the Art Deco era, a wave of Chinese artists came to Paris to learn from Western culture. Among them was architect Liu Jipiao, the organizer and designer of China's section at the famous 1925 Paris Exposition (which introduced the world to Art Deco), and a key figure in bringing modernist art […]
November 19, 2021–April 24, 2022 The Wolfsonian–FIU @ 1001 Washington Avenue Aerial Vision explores how early 20th-century inventions—airplanes and skyscrapers, each considered the embodiment of human achievement and a harbinger of a better tomorrow—sparked an era of remarkable creativity and new systems of seeing the world. Met with awe and excitement, both technologies introduced novel approaches […]
The Shrine of the Little Flower, a Catholic church built in the Art Deco style outside Detroit, was the center of a radio empire started by Father Charles Coughlin that reached up to 30 million Americans each week in the 1930s. Originally an advocate of President Roosevelt's New Deal and critic of the Ku Klux […]
What should a radio look like? How should a tuning dial feel to the touch? More than a half-century before the iPhone, pioneering industrial designer John Vassos addressed these questions, recognizing that the right answers could mitigate fears about new media technologies and inspire people to welcome them into their homes. Danielle Shapiro, author of […]
Beginning with a small, streamlined radio he spotted at an antique show, South Florida collector Harvey Mattel built a collection of radios that now numbers in the many hundreds and includes some of the most coveted receivers in existence. In conversation with Wolfsonian development director Michael Hughes, Mattel will reveal what sparked his passion for […]
