A plumb-bob and a mousetrap are some of the more obscure items branded 'good design'.

EXHIBITION / What was Good Design? MoMA's Message 1944-56

Until 30 November 2009,

Museum of Modern Art, New York

www.moma.org

In mid-20th century America, MoMA curator Edgar Kaufmann Jr coined the term 'good design' to promote everyday objects that economically combined beauty and function, aligned with the precepts of the modern movement. At a time when countries were scrambling to take control of post-war markets, Kaufmann's doctrine emerged as a brilliant ploy to catch popular imagination, re-assert American identity and breathe new life into the country's economy. The message was as much commercial as educational, disseminated through women's magazines, television and department stores, as well as academic journals, exhibitions and competitions. MoMA's influence won its chosen designs a place in many American hearts and homes, as well as in the public sphere. When Nixon and Kennedy debated the first televised presidential election in 1960, they were sitting in Hans Wegner armchairs.

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MoMA's exhibition What was Good Design? celebrates Kaufmann and MoMA's role in spearheading this eventful period in design history. Curators Juliet Kinchin and Aidan O'Connor have scoured the MoMA archives for over 100 examples of 'good design' in order to revisit the idea of blending museum, media and merchandising. Furniture, textiles, graphics, utensils and appliances are drawn from the International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture (1948), the 'Good Design' exhibition series (1950-55) and the 'Useful Objects' exhibition series (1938-48). A display of 'low-cost' chairs designed by Eero Saarinen, Charles Eames and Marcel Breuer is the star of the show, but smaller artefacts also succeed in sustaining interest. A plumb-bob (weight), a hunting bow, a shrimp de-veiner and a mousetrap are some of the more obscure items MoMA branded 'good design' over the years.

The concentration of exhibits into a modest space hints at their domestic context, and a playful approach to their assembly sees Tupperware bowls and cups sharing a plinth with Kaj Franck's famed Kilta earthenware (1948). Never far from the array of retro curiosities is a reminder of their affordability and accessibility. A video installation shows Kaufmann in curator/salesman mode demonstrating seating and storage wares on News of the World for Women in 1952.

MoMA's 'good design' assault on the American public has been widely criticised as crass and commercial in its intent, or even more cynically, a trading-in on the aspirations of the middle-class. But by laying bare evidence from its past, the exhibition makes no excuses for this, asking its visitors to decide whether MoMA's influence was a power for good in the design world, or an elitist exercise in shaping consumer culture. In our own uncertain economic times, what should be admired is the restorative impact of MoMA's message and its ability to raise the profile of the industry with national and global effect, influencing society, culture and identity to leave an indelible mark on everyday American life.

+ A fascinating trawl through some curious design landmarks

- MoMA's message has been slated as crass and commercial