A Century of Silver at SFO

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A Century of Silver at SFO
New Exhibition Presents Silver and Metalwork from Around the Globe
 

Silver objects, like those formed of clay or glass, should perfectly serve the end for which they have been formed.
Christopher Dresser (1834–1904), Principles of Decorative Design, 1871–73

 

SAN FRANCISCO — Glasgow-born Christopher Dresser was one of the first modernist designers.  From his observations as a professional botanist, Dresser concluded that beauty was derived from simplicity of form and clarity of function. Although he worked in the nineteenth century, Dresser can arguably be called the first designer of the twentieth century, and his influence spans generations and continents.

 

A Century of Silver and Metalwork from the Margo Grant Walsh Collection features more than one hundred extraordinary examples of design and craftsmanship from throughout the world. Seen together, the work demonstrates Grant Walsh’s belief that great design knows no borders and is not restricted to any particularly hallowed generation. The objects on exhibition range from bronze candlesticks to pewter bowls, from a copper and brass teapot to parcel-gilt, sterling silver beakers. All are functional, all are examples of exceptional design, and all reflect Dresser’s desire for well-designed, functional objects that reveal their essence through their form and their beauty.

 

Objects are exhibited courtesy of Margo Grant Walsh, with several examples from the Portland Art Museum, Margo Grant Walsh 20 ^th Century Silver and Metalwork Collection.

 

Images from the exhibition are available for download at http://www.flysfo.com/web/page/sfo_museum/about/press_images/exh-century_silver.html.

 

A Century of Silver and Metalwork from the Margo Grant Walsh Collection is located beyond security screening in the new Terminal 2, Departures Level, San Francisco International Airport.  The exhibition is on view to Terminal 2 ticketed passengers from April 14 to October 2, 2011.

 

Margo Grant Walsh

Margo Grant Walsh’s career as an interior architect garnered numerous awards and accolades. Her thirteen years at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in San Francisco were followed by a significant career at Gensler. She pioneered the discipline for women and greatly influenced how the profession is defined today. Grant Walsh’s commitment to design inspired her to collect fine crafts during her forty-three-year career and her travels abroad. Grant Walsh resigned in 2004 and now devotes her time and energy to the research and acquisition of 20 ^th century silver and metalwork. Although her early focus was on Arts and Crafts objects from the United States and the United Kingdom, the Margo Grant Walsh Collection now includes silver and metalwork by more than 130 artisans from throughout the world. The collection has been featured in five exhibitions in the last six years, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and a previous exhibition at SFO Museum in 2007. Although Grant Walsh’s primary residence is in New York, she maintains a familial connection to Portland, Oregon.  In 2002, she donated more than 250 pieces of American and English silver and metalwork to the Portland Art Museum, several of which were generously loaned to SFO Museum for this exhibition.

 

San Francisco Airport Museums

SFO Museum program was established by the Airport Commission in 1980 for the purposes of humanizing the Airport environment, providing visibility for the unique cultural life of San Francisco, and providing educational services for the traveling public.  The Museum was granted initial accreditation from the American Association of Museums in 1999, reaccredited in 2005, and has the distinction of being the only accredited museum in an airport. Today, SFO Museum features approximately twenty galleries throughout the Airport terminals displaying a rotating schedule of art, history, science, and cultural exhibitions, as well as the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library and Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum, a permanent collection dedicated to the history of commercial aviation. For more information, please visit www.flysfo.com/museum.

 

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About San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) offers non-stop links with more than 31 international points on 29 international carriers. The Bay Area's largest airport connects non-stop with more than 69 cities in the U.S. on 20 domestic airlines. For up-to-the-minute departure and arrival information, airport maps and details on shopping, dining, cultural exhibitions, ground transportation and more, visit www.flysfo.com. SFO was voted “North America’s Best Airport” in 2010 by passengers for its modern and efficient facilities and its multi-modal transportation systems..