March 16, 2007

Love it or hate it, we live in a Modern world. Although others might have different definitions for what constitutes the Modernist era, "Modernism: Designing a New World, 1914-1939," opening tomorrow at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, in Washington, D.C., restricts its focus to the movement's early years. But this time period is plenty large. It includes key movements such as Constructivism and the Bauhaus-not to mention architects as diverse in their take on Modernism as Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, and Richard Neutra.

With more than 400 images and objects, the show explores everything from architecture and painting, to dance and film. Although it pays less attention to product design, among the show's highlights is a recreated kitchen concept from Germany, in which all the appliances are integrated into the walls and surfaces. London's Victoria and Albert Museum organized the exhibit, which will be on view at the Corcoran until July 29.

James Murdock

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