Give the Best of MoMA: A Holiday Gift Guide Roundup
For a cheeky yet chic gift The Wall Street Journal’s Merry, Meet Modern guide suggests something classic with a pop of color—Dansk’s Kobenstyle Casserole (from $80). “With the release of the Kobenstyle enameled-steel casserole in 1956, Danish cookware manufacturer Dansk birthed a Scandinavian-modern icon. Now, just in time for the holidays, it brings us the sturdy, stylish pot in a zippy new shade of green. Thankfully, the design remains unchanged: The handles are engineered so they don’t get too hot, and the lid does double duty as a trivet.”
Picks for the Mini Modernist from Dwell magazine included the KidsErgo Stool ($75). Allie Weiss writes, “Alan Heller’s ergonomic seat, which promotes posture and balance, comes in this kid-friendly size (and four bright hues), making it an ideal perch for reading or watching a movie. (And pick up the adult size for yourself!)”
Alicia Adamczyk sets the bar pretty high in Forbes magazine’s The Gourmet Gifter: The Ultimate Luxury Gift Guide for the Food and Drink Fan, taking a money’s-no-object approach. In addition to our Malle W. Trousseau 43-Piece Kitchen Set, Adamczyk selected The Italiani Cheese Connoisseur Set ($1,335) by Coltellerie Berti, writing, “MoMA’s beautifully-designed seven-part set includes high-quality knives specially crafted for slicing and serving hard, semi-soft and soft cheeses.”
If you can’t break the bank, Dwell’s Diana Budds chose Andrea Girolami’s heirloom-quality Cheese Knife Set ($125) in its guide For the Entertainer: “With stainless-steel blades and olive-wood handles, the set of three cheese knives by Andrea Girolami is both handsome and handy. Each is specifically shaped to tackle soft, medium, and hard cheeses so that when you carve off a hunk of parmesan nary a smear of brie or fragrant blue will commingle.”
“Two people sharing a whiskey means an important matter is being discussed—at least, that’s what Oslo-based designer Thea Mehl concluded from the films that inspired this pair of smoky black glasses,” writes The Wall Street Journal of Thea Mehl and Kvetna Glassworks’ mouth-blown, nestable Black Whiskey Glass Set ($46). “One tumbler’s silhouette slopes in and the other’s slopes out. Even if you’re more inclined to drink alone, they sure look nice side-by-side.”
Start another conversation at the table over May Sun’s Untitled (Four Napkins) ($150), which The Village Voice picked as part of its 20 Holiday Gifts for Food-Obsessed New Yorkers list. Adam Robb suggests, “Convince your friend who just jetted back from Instagramming Art Basel that these limited edition silkscreened linens are really an interactive art installation sure to disrupt their next dinner party.”
Entrepreneur and Shark Tank star Mark Cuban put the Kickstarter-backed Lumio Book Lamp ($190) on his list for People magazine, raving about Max Gunawan’s design—“It’s the coolest light I have ever seen.”
Perfect for a stocking stuffer or a Yankee swap, Goop recommends our best-selling 4-in-1 Travel Adapter ($25). Simply put, “Everyone needs one.”
MoMA’s recent publications also made the grade with art critics at The New York Times for its Art Books Gift Guide. Roberta Smith writes, “If you can have only one Gauguin book, The Museum of Modern Art’s catalog for its Gauguin: Metamorphoses exhibition [$60] last spring is a very strong candidate.” Holland Carter chose Alibis: Sigmar Polke 1963–2010 ($75) and Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs ($60). About the latter he says, “If, on your gift list, you have an art-lover who won’t be able to see the show, or one who did and would cherish a souvenir, the catalog is the answer. It reads well; it captures the color-and white dynamic in miniature. Maybe most important, it makes for an intimate experience. At MoMA the show is mobbed; with the book it’s yours alone.”
Kids can be fickle when it comes to gifts without batteries or screens, but coloring remains a tried and true pastime. “It’s rare to find a gift for the grade-school set that tempts a grown-up to drop everything and join in the fun, but I would happily procrastinate with this poster,” says Julie Lasky in The New York Times Gifts for Kids Guide of Elvire Laurent and Marie-Cerise Lichtlé’s Giant NYC Coloring Poster ($28).
Refinery29 concurs in its What To Get Every Kid You Know This Year guide, which picked a perfect companion present—Animal Crayons ($12). “In case you thought coloring couldn’t get any more fun.” ‘Nuff said.
Zinken headphones by Urbanears ($100) got a thumbs-up in Dwell’s guide For the Student. “Get the most out of your music—and maybe tune out a roommate or two—with these on-ear headphones, which deliver deep bass and clear mid-rage sounds,” says editor William Lamb. “Designed for professional DJs, these headphones feature a dual-duty cable that eliminates the need for an adapter when plugging in to a mixer, but they are affordable enough for the average audiophile.”
In the holiday cheer department, Apartment Therapy tapped the Japanese-made Trusco Delux Tool Box ($110) for its 10 Vibrant Gifts for the Color Lover in Your Life list, noting “If someone on your list is just crazy for color then they’re sure to love one of these cheerful picks—they’re vibrant, they’re fun and they’ll stand out from all the other presents under the tree.”
Shown, from left: David Smith. Australia. 1951. Painted steel on cinder block base, 6′ 7 1/2″ x 8′ 11 7/8″ x 16 1/8″ (202 x 274 x 41 cm), on cinder block base 17 1/2 x 16 3/4 x 15 1/4″ (44.5 x 42.5 x 38.7 cm). The Museum of Modern Art. Gift of William Rubin; Mark Rothko. No. 5/No. 22. 1950 (dated on reverse 1949). Oil on canvas, 9′ 9″ x 8′ 11 1/8″ (297 x 272 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of the artist. © 1998 Kate Rothko Prizel Christopher Rothko/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Martin Seck
And finally, a gift you can’t buy in a store—an After-Hours Tour of The Museum of Modern Art ($75 per person, 10 person minimum)—made Allison McNearey’s list for The Daily Beast’s 2014 Holiday Gift Guide: For the Andy Warhol in Your Life. She writes, “Going to the museum is always an inspiring experience, but there is nothing more special than taking your own private tour of the MoMA after hours.” And we couldn’t agree more.
