The Friends have the unique opportunity to be shown around the new exhibition Modern Living: Design in 1950s New Zealand by Curator Justine Olsen.
The 1952 Auckland exhibition Art and Design introduced New Zealanders to a vision for a more equal, happier way of life that grew from the devastation of World War II. Modern Living offers a lens into this ground-breaking exhibition, and an exciting era of new design in Aotearoa. The exhibition offers a diverse range of design objects from the period that are sure to spark conversations around new ways of living from furniture design to architecture. Justine will speak about the exhibition as a whole, detail some of her favourite objects and cover historical contexts to the items. This is a great opportunity to get an exclusive, in depth insight into this fantastic design exhibition with an expert curator.
Justine Olsen’s (Curator Decorative Art & Design) expertise lies in decorative arts and design, with particular reference to New Zealand, both historical and contemporary. Current research includes New Zealand’s contribution to modernism during the 1950s. The ideas behind this exhibition lay in research for the Te Papa publication Crafting Aotearoa: a cultural history of making in New Zealand and the wider Moana Oceania.