(03.19 addendum: I missed it earlier, but Kenneth Baker has a more extensive article
on the same show, also in the Chronicle, with a lot more attention to
the social issues that made the Movement so especially resonant at the
time and fuel the academic approach to the revival today, while showing
the contrast to the "flattened," watered-down approach to the
decorative portions of the movement, popular in current suburban developments.)
Zahid Sardar has a preview of the International Arts & Crafts show – on loan from the Victoria & Albert museum and opening today at San Francisco’s De Young Museum – in today’s San Francisco Chronicle. I can’t recommend the show enough – not only are there some terrific American pieces, like the Wright dining room set and items from Greene & Greene’s Thorsen and Blacker houses, but a range of European A&C items, including a Saarinen-designed wall rug, Russian A&C pieces and plenty of Secessionist furniture with strong A&C ties make an appearance as well.
The addition of several items of Bay Area provenance – textiles and furniture from the Mathews family and a few pieces of Maybeck (not enough, though, in my opinion, given the importance of his architecture on the movement as a whole) give this show special connection with the Bay Area.
I recommend visiting the De Young before June 18 to see the exhibit, but buy your tickets in advance, as they will limit attendance due to the narrow pathway through the exhibit and the relatively small amount of room for visitors.