Lewis Wexler says he’s “always been a furniture guy at heart.” But to refer to the pieces typically on display at Philadelphia’s Wexler Gallery — which he co-owns with his wife, Sherri — as mere “furniture” would be like walking onto the grounds of Giverny and remarking on the pretty flowers. Consider Vivian Beer’s elegant steel bench, Anchored Candy, No. 7 (2014), which features the swooping contours of a stiletto pump and is coated in a custom-made, deep ruby-red paint usually reserved for cars. Sure, you can take a seat on it — but what you really want to do is stare, touch and circumnavigate. Then there’s Brian Gladwell’s charming but enigmatic Rocking Horse (2010). The form is familiar, but the material — corrugated cardboard — isn’t, playing with notions of function and durability. The two works are part of “Gallery Selects” (on view through September 27), an eclectic assemblage of contemporary works that the Wexler team has identified as current favorites.

The pieces really cement the transition from studio furniture to design that we began about eight years ago,” Sherri says. “They’re less about the precision of craftsmanship and more about exploring technical processes and using unusual materials.” This focus brings the couple a long way from their beginnings in the New York art world. They met at Christie’s, where Lewis was the assistant vice president of the 20th-century decorative arts department and Sherri an administrator and junior specialist in Latin American works in the prints department. She would soon leave to pursue a career in video production, while Lewis eventually joined the Madison Avenue gallery of Anthony DeLorenzo, which specializes in French Art Deco. When the couple decided to relocate to Philadelphia, where Sherri had family, and open their own gallery, it seemed natural that they’d gravitate to French design (especially works by Lalique, Daum and Gallé). But when Peter Joseph, a prominent New York dealer for the white-hot studio furniture movement, died in 1998, leaving masters like metalsmith Albert Paley and furniture maker Wendell Castle without a place to exhibit in the region, the Wexlers switched gears to fill the gap, opting to focus more on studio furniture and decorative glass.

They ended up in Old City, which was at last coming into its long-heralded promise as Philly’s “Soho.” In choosing an empty storefront with huge windows that hadn’t let in daylight for years — the space was formerly a celebrated nightclub — they put a much-needed gloss on the four-block area when they opened the gallery in 1999. Today, the spacious gallery lights up the prominent corner of 3rd and Race streets, juxtaposing statement pieces by such top names as Castle and glass artist Harvey Littleton against emerging conceptual designers and fabricators including Beer and Timothy Schreiber. The eclecticism that’s become their signature has been there from the start, when they tossed smaller Art Deco pieces into the studio mix — sensuous glass vases and lamps from masters like Lalique and Daum — and began to work with the glass artist Dale Chihuly on selling his works on the secondary market, a specialty of Wexler that still exists today. In putting together such a mix, “We were ahead of our time,” Lewis says.

“But there was certainly a segment of Philadelphia-area buyers who were excited about what we were offering,” he says, describing how very early on a collector came in looking for Jean Prouvé furniture and walked out with lots of other pieces. chandelier jabro“That’s been typical for us. rent chandeliers for wedding ottawaWe’re still interested in breaking down the barriers between design, furniture and craft.”chandelier cakes by natalie peterson Morphogenesis Chaise, 2010, by Timothy Schreiber Timothy is a talented young designer and architect living in Singapore. We love this piece, which is sculptural, functional and well-crafted­ — the perfect trifecta. There are heavy architectural influences, and the piece appears to be in motion even when it is still.

It is just a sexy piece of design. Forms in Nature, 2013, by Hilden Diaz When a work of art causes a visceral reaction, you know the artist is on to something. Smart, innovative and captivating, this 3D-printed chandelier instantly transforms any space into a mystical, enchanted forest. The Denmark-based artist duo of Hilden Diaz has given us a mechanism for escapism right in our own homes. Rocking Horse, 2010, by Brian Gladwell Gladwell’s nostalgic and iconic Rocking Horse begs the question of why the artist chose to use corrugated cardboard. Is the object meant to be admired and not used? Is the degeneration of the cardboard over time part of the piece’s intent? That it forces the viewer to ponder the relationship between functionality and ornament makes it an interesting and challenging piece. Mirror, 1975, by Wendell Castle This piece is a sweet gem from Wendell’s work from the ’70s. It has everything we love from the time period: the naturalist shape, the beautiful grain of the wood and the sense of history.

Infusion block in Orange, Gold, Blue and Cherry, 2014, by Jamie Harris Sometimes the best results come from experimentation. Such is the case with Jamie’s glass Infusion series, in which he’s played with detailed layers of color that mimic the movement and experience of working with hot glass. You can feel one color enveloping another. Jamie has created paintings in glass: subtle, sensual and beautiful. Illuminated Sculpture, 2014, by Andy Paiko Andy is one of the most talented young artist/designers we have had the honor of representing. This piece has it all: hand-blown glass elements, fiber and metal. It can be reconfigured to meet the client’s needs. Andy’s design process is thorough and well-executed, and this piece so unique and beautiful, it’s inspirational.Collective Design Fair announced today additional programming details for its second edition, Collective 2. Among these additional programs will be the US debut of an exhibition of student work from Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands that

moves the focus of design from object to concept, and the collective social good. will be Collective Conversations, an intimate series of discussions centered on design and the creative process that will be hosted by a diverse group of innovators in the field. be held onsite in a setting specially commissioned from the New York City-based collective Other programming will include a special exhibition on the work of internationally acclaimedCollective Settings, a series of collaborations between interior designers and Collective 2 exhibitors; and Collective Focus: Scandinavia, a capsule exhibition that highlights the ongoing significance of design from the Nordic region. Self Unself began as the theme of the 2013 graduation exhibition at the Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands, and soon expanded to a broader platform at the Van Abbemuseum during Dutch Design Week. The presentation of Self Unself at Collective 2 will be the first in the United States and feature all new student work.

On the concept of the show, Eindhoven Creative Director Thomas Widdershoven says: “Looking at the graduating students and their projects, two words come to my mind: self and unself. students are presenting self-initiated projects with an unselfish inclination. social issues and are geared towards the collective good.” Many Eindhoven students have moved beyond the production of objects to embrace other forms of expression, which include performances, films, debates or workshops. Earlier iterations of Self Unself have been presented at the Loft Creative Festival in Shenzhen, China, and at the 2014 Salone del Mobile in Milan. With each new location the exhibition takes on a new meaning, with fresh manifestations and interactions. Additional support for Self Unself is provided in part by the Dutch Culture USA program of the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York. Reprising successful programming from its first edition, Collective 2 will present Collective

Conversations, featuring designers, gallerists, educators and cultural innovators exploring vital topics in the field of design. This year the Conversations will take place around a table where seats will be available for visitors who want to listen and join in the exchange. participants will be designers India Mahdavi, Michele Oka Doner, Jennifer Trask and The HaasJulia Kaganskiy, Director of the Incubator for Art, Technology and Design at the NewMurray Moss and Franklin Getchell of Moss Bureau; Jane Adlin, Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; and Henry Urbach, Director of The Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut. The conversations will be held in a setting custom-designed for the Fair by the New York-based artist collective BroLab. Collective Design Fair is proud to introduce a solo exhibition on Dutch industrial designer Hella Jongerius (born 1963) as part of its continuing commitment to presenting the work of

Guest curators Murray Moss and Franklin Getchell of Moss Bureau have assembled a highly personal selection of representative works by the Berlin-based designer, drawn primarily from their private collection. Each work is a complete narrative unto itself, but altogether the selection presents a broader story of the artist's exceptional ability to create a collection that expresses her idiosyncratic, playful perspective on design. featured in the exhibition—from her signature vessels to textiles to furniture—will demonstrate Jongerius’ skill and artistry in stitching together and making harmonious seemingly incongruous ideas, technologies and materials. Says Moss, “For over twenty years Hella Jongerius has been working in an artist collective of sorts—albeit one of her own making. Over the years she has brilliantly “curated” an everexpanding circle of diverse designers and manufacturers with different sensibilities andIn doing so, she brings them all together in an unparalleled “Hella” commune, where

ancient and avant-garde, hand-made and laser-cut, familiar and foreign, all become part of a vast quilt of sublime beauty and intelligence—her work.” Additional support for the Hella Jongerius exhibition is provided in part by the Dutch Culture USA program of the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York. Collective 2 will host a capsule exhibition in 2014 spotlighting Scandinavian design, which plays a key role in this year’s edition. For Collective Focus: Scandinavia, guest curator Glenn Adamson, Director of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City, will select significant vintage and contemporary works from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, on view among the exhibitors, to spotlight thematic connections and points of difference, providing a framework for visitors to think about this influential design region in new ways. As a part of its ongoing mission to provide a platform for education and enterprise, Collective 2

will host a special program highlighting the collaborative relationship between interior designersCollective Settings will present a series of exhibitors who have been invited to work with a designer of their choice to create domestic contexts that integrate each gallery's collectible objects and furnishings. Taken as a whole, Collective Settings puts the spotlight on the arts of juxtaposition and placement, crucial components of the interior design practice. designer/exhibitor pairings will include: Jonathan Adler/ Donzella 20th Century; and Alan Wanzenberg/1950 Gallery. Cadillac will present two iconic cars as part of its sponsorship of the 2014 edition of Collective 2. The 2014 ELR and the 1967 Fleetwood Eldorado will be part of a special installation near the entrance of the fair, juxtaposing two of the most stylistically and technologically advanced designs produced in the last fifty years. Innovation in automotive design has been significant

during this period, and the pairing of the two models presents an exemplary parallel to the sideby- side display of vintage and contemporary design at the fair. Collective Design Fair is pleased to announce that Friday, May 9th will be designated MuseumCollective 2 will offer free admission to all museum members with proof of current Collective Design Fair began with a passionate group of architects, designers, collectors and gallerists who recognized the need for a new commercial and educational platform for the design collector and connoisseur. From May 8 through May 11, 2014, Collective 2 will host a dynamic mix of emerging and established international exhibitors presenting a cohesive selection of contemporary and 20th century design, along with a diverse slate of programming. Collective 2 will run concurrently with Frieze New York and the May art auctions, as the inaugural fair did in 2013, confirming its status as a key event on the city’s cultural calendar.

Amplifying its mission to celebrate both design history and innovation, Collective 2 will take place at Skylight at Moynihan Station, located in the historic James A. Farley Post Office, a McKim, Mead & White-designed Beaux-Arts building on Manhattan’s West Side, at 8th Avenue and West 33rd Street. The 2014 Collective consists of Caroline Baumann, Lori Chemla, Kyle DeWoody, Brad Ford, Alexander Gorlin, Cristina Grajales, Steven Learner, David Mann, Sarah Medford, Todd Merrill, Zesty Meyers, Nessia Pope, Beth Rudin DeWoody and Evan Snyderman. Since its successful debut in 2013, when it welcomed over 5,500 visitors to Manhattan’s Pier 57, Collective Design Fair has been recognized as an important addition to the city’s culturalCollective 2 is pleased to be a part of NYCxDESIGN, New York City’s official citywide New York (NY) 10002 United States Tel. +1 (212) 7418583 Thursday from 11am to 7pm Friday from 11am to 9pm Saturday from 11am to 7pm