European Design Since 1985

The Milwaukee Art Museum’s “European Design Since 1985: Shaping the New Century” exhibit, which runs through Jan. 9, 2011, examines objects from 1985 to 2005 and reflects on the ways in which recent design relates to art. The diverse collection includes works by Le Corbusier and Philippe Starck as well as IKEA watering cans and Michael Graves merchandise for Target. Some pieces were created as unique works of art, while others enjoyed mass production. That divide is seen in the exhibition’s two categories: modernism and post-modernism: Post-modernists believe in art for art’s sake, in designing an object for admiration, while modernism derives its context from the phrase “form follows function,” in which design links with industry to produce functional objects.