MoMA Tops This Year's List of Design's 40 Biggest Influencers

MoMA Tops This Years List of Designs 40 Biggest Influencers
Terence Riley, Peter Reed, and Paola Antonelli are the custodians of design's most venerable (and some might say burdensome) legacy.

Since it was founded in 1932 under Philip Johnson, MoMA's design department has taken charge of granting immortality to a select group of objects and the people who make them.

Educating the public about why design matters is also part of the mandate.

While respecting the museum's formalist tradition, this trio has expanded the meaning of MoMA's catchphrase "good design" to include emotion, wit, and the imprint of popular culture.

Acquisitions that bolster this revised definition include Reiko Sudo's ethereal Feather Flurries Fabric, Matali Crasset's cheeky Artican waste-paper basket, and Fuji's disposable cardboard camera.

"We are all very different," says Antonelli.

"But it makes for a good balance."

Reed digs into historical scholarship, earning the academy's praise for shows like his ambitious 1998 Alvar Aalto retrospective.

Riley, who is not only the department's chief curator, but also a practicing architect, has managed to raise excitement about buildings within the cloistered dimensions of his galleries; his 1999 'Un-Private House' exhibition offered many visitors a first appreciation of Rem Koolhaas, Diller + Scofidio, and Shigeru Ban.