Houses Australia – August 2019

138 POSTSCRIPT

ClementMeadmore(1929–2005)wasoneofAustralia’s

moresignificantpost-warindustrialdesignersand,

internationally,thenation’smostsuccessfulsculptor.

Thatbeingthecase,it issurprisingthattheexhibition

ClementMeadmore:Theartofmid-centurydesign,heldat

theIanPotterMuseumofArtattheUniversityofMelbourne

(20November 2018 – 24March2019),wasthefirstmajor

surveyofthisbrilliantminimalist.Inthefurnitureworld,

Meadmoreneedstobeseenalongsideotherstarssuchas

GrantandMaryFeatherston,GordonAndrews,andémigrés

PaulKafkaandSchulimKrimper.Butwhatsetshimapart

fromthesedesignersisthethrillingleannessofhiswork

andtherichdiversityofhisoeuvre,whichincludesnotjust

hisiconicblack-steelrodandcordchairsbutalsotables,

lightfittings,completeinteriors,fabrics,sculptures,record

coversandchildren’stoys.Thereisanoverridingsensethat

witheverytaskhesethimself,atwhateverscale,Meadmore

wascreatinga workofart.Inthepursuitofa near-Bauhaus

ethos,heassertedthatindustrialdesigncouldbesculpture

andviceversa:sculpturemightdoubleas“useful”design.

Thisgoal(andalmostcertainlyhisbitterexperiencewith

intellectualpropertyfraudinthemid-1950s)sawhimleave

Australiain 1963 andheadtoNewYork,whereheremained

fortherestofhislife.There,hemadehisnameasoneof

theworld’sleadingabstractexpressionistsculptors.

TheMelbourneexhibition,guest-curatedby

DeanKeepandJeromieMaver,focusedlargelyonthe

pre-1963years.Conceptually,theideaofindustrialdesign

asartobjectdrovethecuratorialstrategy.TheIanPotter

Museum’sinteriorswerestrikinglyrecastinblackand

whitebyAlanPert(MelbourneSchoolofDesign)and

DhanikaKumaheri(ParallelPractice).Meadmore’spieces

wereplacedonwhiteboxpodiumsorplanesandhoused

within the thinnest of steel box frames. Five spaces over

twofloorschronologicallymappedMeadmore’scareer,

withfascinatingjournalandarchivalmaterialrevealing

EnidMeadmore’sunwaveringdedicationtoherhusband’s

practice(includingherendlesswrappingofsashcordin

theirHawthornworkshop).

Thefirstroomfeaturedworksfrom 1946 through

to1953,whenMeadmoreleftforEurope,workingfor

TerenceConraninLondon,meetingGioPontiinItaly,

andgettingpublishedinDomusmagazine.Inthistime

hebecamea committedItalophile.Thesecondroom

highlightedMeadmore’sexquisiteCalder-likeCalyxlight

fittings,alongwithtablesandchairsdesignedafterhis

1954 returntoAustralia.Upstairs,thethirdandlargest

spacefocusedonhisbrilliantinteriorsfortheLegend

EspressoCafeandMilkBarandtheTeahouse,complete

withgiantperiodphotographsandLeonardFrench’s

spectacularseven-panelledmural,TheLegendofSinbadthe

Sailor(1956,LaTrobeUniversityartcollection),specially

commissionedfortheLegendcafe.Afourthspacefeatureda

“cloud”ofjazzrecordcovers,withmusicplayinganda

maquetteofoneofMeadmore’soutdoorsteelsculptures

fromthe1970s.Thefifthandfinalspaceincludedsculpture,

furniture,fabricandMeadmore’sdesignsforMelbourne’s

radicalGalleryA,wherehehelda curatorialrolefrom

1959,includinghiswonderfullyexperimentalchildren’s

toyRainbowBox(1970),designedforPlaypaxToys.

If therewaseveranargumenttotransform

KeepandMaver’sdecade-longresearchintoa stunning

bookorwebsite,thisexhibition made it with the most

elegantconviction.

ClementMeadmore:Theartofmid-centurydesignwas

heldfromNovember 2018 toMarch 2019 atthe Ian Potter

Museum of Art, University of Melbourne.

01 DesignerClement

Meadmoreespoused

thatindustrialdesign

couldbesculpture

andviceversa.

02 Theplethoraof

iconicchairs,tables,

lightfittingsand

fabricsexhibitedin

thecollectionreflects

ClementMeadmore’s

prolific career.

Thefirstmajorretrospectiveontheoeuvreofone

ofAustralia’spreeminentdesignersandsculptors,

ClementMeadmore:Theartofmid-centurydesign,

makesa convincingargumentthat industrial design

isanartforminitsownright.

WordsbyPhilipGoad

Photography by Christian Capurro

Clement

Meadmore:

The artof mid-

century design

EXHIBITION

01 02