The Fenimore Art Museum is presenting an exhibition on the furniture of celebrated turn of the Twentieth Century designer and manufacturer and leading spokesman for the American Arts and Crafts Movement, Gustav Stickley, through August 10.
“Gustav Stickley: The Enlightened Home” features 40 pieces of original Stickley furniture and decorative objects drawn from the Stickley Museum, Fayetteville, N.Y.; Dalton’s American Decorative Arts, Syracuse, N.Y.; the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms, Morris Plains, N.J., and private collections.
The exhibition explores Stickley’s well-designed and carefully crafted furniture within the context of his philosophical contribution to the American Arts and Crafts movement. Inspired by the ideas of British Arts and Crafts philosopher William Morris, who advocated a return to fine craftsmanship, honest design and the dignity of labor, Stickley generated his own “Craftsman” philosophy, which catapulted him to the forefront of the American Arts and Crafts movement.
Rejecting the superfluous ornamentation characteristic of Victorian homes, Stickley championed functional homes whose beauty derived from simplicity and harmony.
“Gustav Stickley: The Enlightened Home,” which includes two period rooms, a 1904 living room and a 1907 dining room, highlights several pieces from Stickley’s rich body of work and illustrates how Stickley redefined the American home with his Arts and Crafts-inspired items. Stickley’s philosophy of building in harmony with the environment by using natural materials was fully realized in his home, Craftsman Farms in Morris Plains, N.J.
Stickley’s unornamented, clean-lined furniture was exemplified throughout the interior and exterior design of his home. While individual pieces of furniture used construction as decoration, embodied simplicity and prioritized utility, these tenets were also implemented on a much grander scale within the home.
The Fenimore Art Museum is at 5798 State Highway 80, Lake Road. For information, www.fenimoreartmuseum.org or 888-547-1450.
