Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph
Members’ Gallery Tour with Curator Abraham Thomas
Wednesday, November 20th at 3:00 PM
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Join DOCOMOMO US/New York Tri-State for a special, private members-only gallery tour at the Met led by curator Abraham Thomas, the Daniel B. Brodsky Curator of Modern Architecture, Design, and Decorative Arts. The tour will take place while the museum is closed to the public.
This is the first-ever major museum exhibition to examine the career of the influential 20th-century architect Paul Rudolph. Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph showcases the full breadth of Rudolph’s important contributions to architecture—from his early experimental houses in Florida to his civic commissions ren¬dered in concrete, and from his utopian visions for urban megastructures and mixed-use sky¬scrapers to his extraordinary immersive New York interiors. The exhibition gives visitors the opportunity to experience the evolution and diversity of Rudolph’s legacy and better understand how his work continues to inspire ideas of urban renewal and redevelopment in cities across the world. The presentation features a diverse range of over 80 artifacts and in a variety of scales, from small objects that he collected throughout his life to a mix of material generated from his office, including drawings, models, furniture, material samples, and photographs.
Abraham Thomas joined The Met in 2020 as the Daniel B. Brodsky Curator of Modern Architecture, Design, and Decorative Arts where he most recently curated The Met’s Roof Garden Commission: Lauren Halsey (2023). Previously, he worked at the Smithsonian Institution (2016–20) where he was curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery, and then senior curator at the Arts and Industries Building. Prior to this—based in London—he was a curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum (2005–13), and the director of Sir John Soane’s Museum (2013–15). His exhibitions at the Smithsonian included Futures (2021) and Disrupting Craft (2018); and at the V&A, Heatherwick Studio: Designing the Extraordinary (2012), 1:1 – Architects Build Small Spaces (2010), and Owen Jones: A Higher Ambition (2009). For the Sainsbury Centre in the UK he also co-curated Superstructures: The New Architecture 1960–1990 (2018). His other roles include serving on the jury of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize; and the Board of Trustees at the Penland School of Craft in North Carolina.
Free Admission. Only current DOCOMOMO US members may register. Members may bring one non-member guest. Advance Registration Required. Space is limited.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028 Please arrive by 2:45 pm inside The Met’s main entrance at Fifth Avenue and 82nd street. The full group will neet to be escorted to the galleries by a Met staff member.
