“Anyone that tells what should and what should not be, don’t believe them!” That’s the Israeli designer Ron Arad talking about art and architecture in 2015. “I’m not very good with doing what I am supposed to do,” he concludes. But he’s extremely good at creating what no one ever thought to do. It began in 1981, with his car-seat-inspired Rover Chair. Then there’s the Big Easy, a chair on steroids; the teardrop Gomli chair; the “Bookworm” shelving and sidetable; and so much more. Curated by Simon de Pury, the artistic director of Newlands House, this exhibition celebrates Arad’s 69th birthday with 50 career-spanning studio pieces—ingenious, witty, completely modern. —L.J.