Permanent display
The Calculated Curve: Eighteenth-Century American Furniture
from 5 Apr 2024 at The Met Fifth Avenue
· New York
The Calculated Curve: Eighteenth-Century American Furniture presents a focused look at the artistry and technical mastery that defined American furniture-making during the 1700s. The exhibition examines how craftsmen of the period employed deliberate, mathematically informed curves — in cabriole legs, serpentine fronts, and bonnet tops — to achieve both structural integrity and refined aesthetic beauty.
Through a selection of exceptional pieces, visitors can trace the evolution of style from the early Queen Anne period through the Chippendale era, observing how European influences were absorbed and transformed into a distinctly American idiom. The show invites reflection on the relationship between function, form, and the skilled hand of the colonial craftsman.
Through a selection of exceptional pieces, visitors can trace the evolution of style from the early Queen Anne period through the Chippendale era, observing how European influences were absorbed and transformed into a distinctly American idiom. The show invites reflection on the relationship between function, form, and the skilled hand of the colonial craftsman.
About the venue
The Met Fifth Avenue
· New York
The Met Fifth Avenue is the primary museum building for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The building is located at 1000 Fifth Avenue, along the Museum Mile on the eastern edge of Central Park in Manhattan's Upper East Side.
