CA Designed 1955

In 1955, the Long Beach Museum of Art (then Municipal Art Center) presented California Designed, an exhibition of 325 furnishings and accessories representative of the best typically California solution to problems in design and workmanship. Curated by Director Samuel Heavenrich and in partnership with the de Young Museum in San Francisco, products including furniture, floor coverings, fabrics, lamps, accessories, tablewares and home appliances were selected on the merit of originality, function and utility in favor of overworked “modern” design. CA Designed 1955 features a selection of collected works originally exhibited in 1955 including those of Charles and Ray Eames, Sam Maloof, and Jerome and Evelyn Ackerman.

It is with delight that the Museum presents this tribute to the California mid-century artists whose contributions marked a distinct architectural era and continue to influence design aesthetics today.