The Evolution of Latin America: Crafting Modernity at the MoMA

By: Maegan Diep

A current exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Crafting Modernity: Design in Latin America is a temporary home for the various creations of Latin American artists, ranging from furniture to ceramics. This exhibition houses designs created between 1940 and 1980, displaying what the MoMA describes as “conflicting visions of modernity” and depicting the homogeneity of the land. 

Postwar Latin America saw the rise in consumerism and industrialization, as it left the region with the need to reevaluate its national identity. The land sought to establish security in their local economies, thus replacing foreign imports with domestic production. (Previously, their economies had been dependent on trades with the European markets.) In response, designers took part in projects that reflected their nationalistic utopians, crafting works that would encapsulate a futuristic feel. The home became another canvas, characterized by the drastic changes that took place in political, economic, and social settings. 

Upon entering the exhibition, viewers are welcomed by a bright vermilion wall. To the left of the exhibition’s name hangs Roberto Burle Marx’s Ibirapuera Park, Quadricentennial Gardens, project São Paulo Brazil (Plan, detail five) (1953), a colorful floor plan composed of several geometric shapes within a larger, olive green organic shape. On a slightly elevated platform below the name sits three pieces of furniture: Paulo Mendes de Rocha’s Paulistano Chair (1957), Oscar Niemeyer’s “Modulo” Low Table (1978), and Joaquim Tenreiro’s Three-Legged Chair (1947).

One of the works that immediately stands out is Malittle Lounge Furniture (1966) by Chilean artist Roberto Matta. The pieces of furniture were arranged to form one larger square, with four grass-green pieces on the outside and one lemon-yellow footrest in the center. The fluidity of the furniture’s shapes underlines the modern influences that swept across Latin America at the time, as it possesses a playful and unusual look. Additionally, Matta’s training as an architect is captured in this piece, as it can be constructed into one larger whole and deconstructed into several pieces.

A highlight of the exhibition is Cuban-Mexican designer Clara Porset’s Butaque (1957), a chair with a low, curved wooden frame with woven wicker. (Traditionally, butaque is made of animal skin, but generally has a variation of designs.) Porset was born in Matanzas, Cuba to a wealthy family. She was able to travel to the United States to pursue an education in design and to Europe to work with faculty at the Bauhaus. She eventually moved to Mexico, where she explored Mexico’s traditional crafts and emphasized its importance in the evolving world of industrialization: without the traditions, industrialization would not be able to exist the way it does. Porset is best known for her Butaque and for providing a platform for these craft traditions.

Should one make a full counterclockwise circle around the exhibition, one might stumble across Brazilian architect and designer Lina Bo Bardi’s Bowl chair (1951) at the end. A simple but rather comfortable design, the Bowl chair speaks for itself: a hemispherical chair made of steel and midnight blue fabric, supported by four legs. Bardi’s chair is versatile; the position of the hemisphere can be adjusted to the individual’s preference. Similarly to Matta, there is a hint of playfulness in this unique, unconventional design. 

Filled with an assortment of avant-garde ideas, Crafting Modernity: Design in Latin America at the MoMA succeeds in immersing visitors into the contemporary, bustling realm of internal design. Yet, despite the disparities in interpretations, artists ultimately sought the common goal of creating works to accompany the daily lives of the people. As Porset had once written, “Design is only a result; its purpose is to cooperate in raising the general standard of living by bringing efficiency and artistry to one’s daily circumstances.”