Which designs have opened up new ways of thinking and being in the world? This is the question posed by “Pirouette: Turning Points in Design,” a new show at the Museum of Modern Art that presents a variety of objects characterized by forward-thinking design.
The exhibition, on view through October 18, 2025, spans consumer goods, graphic design, clothing and more, including several innovative furniture pieces. Among these are Charles and Ray Eames’s Rocking armchair, Sabine Marcelis‘s Candy Cube, Gaetano Pesce’s Pratt chair and the Aeron office chair. Conceived by ergonomics pioneers Donald T. Chadwick and William Stumpf in 1994, the Aeron is constructed mainly of recycled materials and is a bestseller for Herman Miller.
The MoMA show also includes imaginative products by designers best known for their furniture. Mario Bellini, who is famous for seating like the Camaleonda sofa — an ultrachic modular piece that doubles as sculpture — created electronics for many years. His TCV 250 video display terminal, on view in “Pirouette,” is notable for its distinctly biomorphic design.
Other works highlighted in the exhibition include Swatch watches, Martin Margiela’s divisive Tabi boots and the concept layout for Milton Glaser‘s iconic I ♥️ NY logo, famously part of a New York State tourism campaign during the late 1970s. From M&Ms to Sacco beanbag chairs, “Pirouette” testifies to the ingenuity that all great design shares.