Founder & Benefactor – Arthur Wiener
Arthur Wiener acquired his first piece of pottery in 1965 when he traveled to London, as a young college graduate, armed with Frommer’s seminal guidebook Europe on $5 a day. He blew his daily budget on a Royal Doulton character jug of Merlin the magician, which caught his eye in
Executive Director & Curator – Louise Irvine
Louise Irvine is an expert in British ceramic history and her career in the UK and the USA has been devoted to promoting a greater appreciation of the fired arts through publishing, lecturing, and exhibitions. She is regarded as the leading authority on Royal Doulton antiques, having published more than
Into the Night
by Louise Irvine Into the Night is an exhilarating exhibition in London exploring cabarets, cafes and clubs in modern art. I was fascinated by all the connections with our current Carnival & Cabaret exhibit. From the Serpentine Dances of Loie Fuller at the Folies Bergère in Paris to the pulsating
Art on Fire – The Chihuly Connection
By Louise Irvine Dale Chihuly is arguably the most famous glass artist in the world. His name draws vast crowds to site-specific glass installations across the globe as well as to art galleries and museums internationally. The stunning Art on Fire exhibit at the Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts presents
Word Search
We are always thinking about interesting ways that you can enjoy WMODA at home. Elyse Buchanan, who works in our collections management department, is a big fan of word search puzzles. She has compiled a WMODA word search inspired by the fired arts exhibits on display in the museum. You
Micky’s 80th Birthday
Micky Wolfson’s 80th Birthday was celebrated in considerable style by the Wolfsonian-FIU. A street party in Miami Beach launched the festivities along with a private viewing at the museum of A Universe of Things celebrating Micky’s collecting history. The Fairyland Lustre Dragon King vase, which was Arthur Wiener’s birthday gift,
No Christmas Elves
The dark side of Daisy’s Fairyland Lustre is well known thanks to our Fantastique video. There aren’t any cute Christmas elves in Daisy’s vision of Fairyland nor many fairy princesses with diaphanous dresses and gossamer wings. Instead Daisy reveled in the magical antics of the unprepossessing and mischievous residents of
The Real Snowbirds
By now, most of Florida’s snowbirds have arrived in the sunshine state to escape the freezing temperatures of the north. However, human snowbirds can appreciate the real-life snowbirds – the juncos, robins and other seasonal birds of Christmas time - in our Flights of Fancy exhibition thanks to the brilliant
Over the Rainbow at WMODA
The radiant Rainbow Bowl, which has been so much admired at WMODA recently, was a gift to Arthur Wiener from Steve Gibbs at The Corning Museum of Glass. Arthur saw the bowl when he visited Corning in the summer and the artist Chris Rochelle was delighted for his work to
Art Deco Design
Fanny Rozet broke through the glass ceiling as a French artist. In 1896, she was the first female sculptor to be accepted into the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, which was reserved for male artists. One of her striking Art Deco style ceramic lamps is now on display at WMODA.