© Driade

Ron Arad, Fauteuil Rocker MT 3 Chair (2005). Molded polyethelene, 41 x 31 1/2 x 41 in.

© Vitra Design Museum, Weilam Rhein, Germany

Ron Arad, Fauteuil Well Tempered Chair (1986). Stainless steel, 31 1/2 x 39 x 31 1/2 in.

December 2008 Field Guide

Anri Sala

Predrive: After Technology

Experimenta Folklore

Javier Ramirez Limon

Indian Art

Mark Manders

Klara Liden

Andre Kertesz: On Reading

Pipilotti Rist

Transpop: Korea Vietnam Remix

Looking In: Robert Frank's The Americans

Ree Morton

Emotional Drawing

Richard Serra Philippe Vergne on the Future of Dia Canadian Town and Developer Tussle over Serra Work Shopping for Sculpture Light and Grace Triumph in Renzo Piano’s Chicago Debut Subtle Design Shines at Punta della Dogana “Kunstkompass” Lists Top 100 Contemporary Artists A Piano Sonata

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What's one to do if you're "afraid of boredom, fundamentalists, philistines"? If you're the celebrated Israeli-born, London-based designer Ron Arad, you might make tables that disdain the floor and opt instead to climb the walls like liquid, mirrored monkeys; or you might design a series of chandeliers for the Swarovski crystal company that include some swanky crystals, yes, but also LEDs operated by text messages from a cell phone. You might also have a retrospective of your wares at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, which is mounting just such a show of Arad's prodigious output this month. While his inclination for making chairs, bookcases, and tables in winding elliptical forms might bring to mind a more South Beach version of Richard Serra's monumental sculptures, Arad's seriousness of endeavor is brought to light by the Pompidou's selection of major and emblematic works (his Bookworm bookcase, his Rover chair made from recycled car seats), prototypes, limited series, mass-produced objects, and documentation of numerous architectural projects. "Ron Arad" originally appeared in the December 2008 / January 2009 issue of Modern Painters. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Modern Painters' December 2008 / January 2009 Table of Contents.