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The Arts Intel Report

Parall(elles): A History of Women in Design

Clara Driscoll’s design for the Louis Tiffany Peacock table lamp, circa 1905.

Feb 18 – May 28, 2023
1380 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montréal, QC H3G 1J5, Canada

In today’s world, nearly half of our design students are women. But a century ago the field was dominated by men—no surprise—and women struggled for recognition. They contributed a great deal nonetheless. In 1905, Clara Driscoll designed a Tiffany lamp with a gorgeous peacock-feather motif; in 1928, Charlotte Perriand invented the celebrated chaise longue basculante. In the early 1930s, the Canadian designer Jeannette Meunier Biéler designed a chrome-and-glass desk inspired by the principles of the Bauhaus. With 250 works, this exhibition writes women into the last 150 years of design. —Elena Clavarino

Photo: MMFA, Jean-François Brière