TIME FOR TEA: This image of perhaps the most famous tea kettle ever, is one that evokes the name of Princeton’s own Michael Graves, the internationally renowned architect and designer who has won numerous awards and distinctions including the National Medal of Arts. Mr. Graves’s work has been widely exhibited and published, and his drawings, paintings, and objects have found permanent homes in museums and private collections around the world. A retrospective of his work, “Michael Graves: Past as Prologue,” marks the 50th anniversary of his design firm, and opens at Grounds for Sculpture Saturday, October 18. For more information, visit: www.groundsforsculpture.org. For more on Mr. Graves, visit www.michaelgraves.com.

Grounds For Sculpture’s Fall/Winter exhibition season features an installation of work by internationally acclaimed artist and architect Michael Graves. The exhibition, “Michael Graves: Past as Prologue,” will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Graves’ design firm and its five decades of visionary work. It will run from October 18 through April 5, 2015.

The exhibition will feature a tour through seminal architecture and product design projects, and will display some of Graves’ original works of art, including sculpture and paintings. It will reflect the evolution of Mr. Graves’ core design principles and how the past influences the present, setting the stage for the future.

On view in the Museum, Domestic Arts Building, and Welcome Center, “Past as Prologue” will present projects ranging from rarely seen work from 1964 through current work “on the boards.” Some of Graves’ most influential architectural designs will be on display including the iconic Denver Central Library and the Team Disney Building in Burbank. Also featured will be everyday objects such as his celebrated ALESSI teakettle and a collection of bowls and vases for Steuben Glass.

The exhibition will reflect the breadth of the Princeton architect’s accomplishments at every scale. Visitors will have a rare glimpse at the early Linear City project on which Graves collaborated with architect Peter Eisenman. They will also have an opportunity to see the progression of Graves’s design philosophy and the core values he developed with his collaborators and gain insight into how such a broad spectrum of work produced across five decades is inter-connected.

“Reminiscing over 50 years of projects is wonderful for me, but I am most excited about how the future of our practice is evolving from the energetic collaboration of our disciplines,” commented Michael Graves. “I hope that visitors experience the many scales of our designs with the same joy that we feel in creating them.”

In addition to an extensive collection of Graves’ architectural models, products, furniture, paintings, sculptural pieces, and photos of built projects from around the world, some of his never-before-seen drawings will also be on view, providing a behind-the scenes glimpse into the design process from original concept to the final product or project.

“Michael is a true visionary,” said GFS Chief Curator Tom Moran. “This exhibition will feature many of his never-before-seen drawings created over five decades, which will enable visitors to experience his thought process in the same space as the finished product. He approaches every project with a human sensibility; whether it’s a hotel, office building, or product for home and health, he insists that it be intuitive and functional. And he is able to balance this requirement with streamlined design and a heightened aesthetic. He is a master at his craft, and we are so pleased to be able to share his work and celebrate the 50 years leading up to this momentous exhibition.”

Throughout the duration of “Michael Graves: Past as Prologue,” GFS will offer special events, talks, tours, and hands-on art-making workshops for families and adults, in addition to a film series and a Product Design Challenge, all inspired by the exhibition. This exhibition has been made possible in part through the generous support of its presenting sponsor, Kimberly-Clark, and by ALESSI, one of the leading “factories of Italian design.”

For more information, visit: www.groundsforsculpture.org.

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