Saturated: The Allure and Science of Color
This exhibition was on display from May 11, 2018 to January 13, 2019.
See all the exhibitions.
View and print exhibition labels.
Color is an illusion, but not an unfounded illusion. —C.L. Hardin, Color for Philosophers, 1988. Color shouts or whispers to us from every corner of our world, saturates nearly every surface we touch. An objective, quantifiable event, color is also a subjective personal experience, different for every person and deeply intertwined with language and memory. Color perception is an elusive, complex phenomenon that is still not fully understood, despite centuries of research by artists and designers, scientists and philosophers. Yet designers deploy color everyday, across an incredibly wide array of media. Used effectively, color helps us to navigate our physical world, organize and ingest information, and make decisions as consumers. Saturated brings together extraordinary rare books from Smithsonian Libraries and compellingly colorful objects from Cooper Hewitt's permanent collection to explore how the sensory experience of color has been conceived by history's greatest color thinkers, visualized with graphic tools and models, and used by designers to bring both order and excitement to our visual world.
- Book, The Series of Plates Designed as Tests for Colour Blindness, 1936
- H x W (each plate): 12 × 12 cm (4 3/4 × 4 3/4 in.).
- Smithsonian Libraries, RE921 .I75 1936X.
- 92.2016.36a/d
- There are 9 images of this object.
- Book, Pantone color deck, 2014
- H x diam.: 5.1 × 40.6 cm (2 × 16 in.).
- Gift of Pantone?.
- 92.2016.52
- THIS OBJECT IS NOT PUBLIC
- Signature Collection: Picnic Flatware Dinner Knife, 1986
- anodized aluminum.
- Museum purchase from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund.
- 1986-94-1
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 6 images of this object.
- iPod Nano Digital Media Player, 2009
- sheet aluminum, glass, polycarbonate.
- Gift of Apple.
- 2010-34-1
- This object was made by Apple Inc..
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 5 images of this object.
- Silver Streak Iron, ca. 1946
- molded and emulsion-painted pyrex glass, cast and nickel-plated steel, molded....
- Gift of George R. Kravis II.
- 2015-5-12
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Sample Plate (Bavaria), 1948
- molded, enameled and glazed hard-paste porcelain.
- Gift of Michele Oka Doner in honor of Lisa Roberts.
- 2014-52-1
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Calendar, August 1970, 1970
- lithograph on paper.
- Gift of Unknown Donor.
- n-d-1632
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Drawing, Textile Design: Akropolis (Acropolis), 1910–11
- brush and gouache on paper.
- Museum purchase from Smithsonian Collections Acquisition and Decorative Arts....
- 1988-62-148
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Drawing, Textile Design: Akropolis (Acropolis), 1910–11
- brush and gouache on paper.
- Museum purchase from Smithsonian Collections Acquisition and Decorative Arts....
- 1988-62-149
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Drawing, Textile Design: Akropolis (Acropolis), 1910–11
- brush and gouache on paper.
- Museum purchase from Smithsonian Collections Acquisition and Decorative Arts....
- 1988-62-150
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Drawing, Textile Design: Akropolis (Acropolis), 1910–11
- brush and gouache on paper.
- Museum purchase from Smithsonian Collections Acquisition and Decorative Arts....
- 1988-62-151
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Drawing, Textile Design: Akropolis (Acropolis), 1910–11
- brush and gouache on paper.
- Museum purchase from Smithsonian Collections Acquisition and Decorative Arts....
- 1988-62-152
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Drawing, Textile Design: Akropolis (Acropolis), 1910–11
- brush and gouache on paper.
- Museum purchase from Smithsonian Collections Acquisition and Decorative Arts....
- 1988-62-153
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Drawing, Textile Design: Akropolis (Acropolis), 1910–11
- brush and gouache on paper.
- Museum purchase from Smithsonian Collections Acquisition and Decorative Arts....
- 1988-62-154
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Drawing, Textile Design: Akropolis (Acropolis), 1910–11
- brush and gouache on paper.
- Museum purchase from Smithsonian Collections Acquisition and Decorative Arts....
- 1988-62-155
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Book, Expo '70 color environment, 1970
- H x W: 25.5 × 36 cm (10 1/16 × 14 3/16 in.).
- Gift of Issac H. Godlove, Smithsonian Libraries, QC495 .E96 folio.
- 92.2016.68a,b
- There are 8 images of this object.
- Ruutu Group Of Vases
- mold-blown, ground and polished glass.
- 2018-9-1/10
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Signature Collection: Picnic Flatware Fork, 1985
- anodized aluminum.
- Museum purchase from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund.
- 1986-94-2
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 4 images of this object.
- Signature Collection: Picnic Flatware Spoon, 1985
- anodized aluminum.
- Museum purchase from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund.
- 1986-94-3
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 7 images of this object.
- Jungle Camouflage, M1942
- cotton.
- 1969-130-1
- A4 Inked Papers (5 To 10 Sheets)
- paper.
- Courtesy of PeclersParis.
- s-e-2670
- THIS OBJECT IS NOT PUBLIC
- iPod Nano Digital Media Player, 2009
- sheet aluminum, glass, polycarbonate.
- Gift of Apple.
- 2010-34-2
- This object was made by Apple Inc..
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 4 images of this object.
- iPod Nano Digital Media Player, 2009
- molded abs plastic and polycarbonate resin, polished stainless steel, aluminum.
- Gift of Apple.
- 2010-34-3
- This object was made by Apple Inc..
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 5 images of this object.
- iPod Nano Digital Media Player, 2009
- polished anodized aluminum, glass, polycarbonate.
- Gift of Apple.
- 2010-34-4
- This object was made by Apple Inc..
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 4 images of this object.
- iPod Nano Digital Media Player, 2009
- polished anodized aluminum, glass, polycarbonate.
- Gift of Apple.
- 2010-34-5
- This object was made by Apple Inc..
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- iPod Nano Digital Media Player, 2009
- polished anodized aluminum, glass, polycarbonate.
- Gift of Apple.
- 2010-34-6
- This object was made by Apple Inc..
- This object is part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts collection.
- There are 4 images of this object.
- Textile, Color Sample Blanket, 2016
- silk.
- Museum purchase from General Acquisitions Endowment Fund.
- 2018-20-1
- Print, 1969
- screenprint on heavy off-white wove paper..
- Gift of Tamar Cohen.
- 1999-6-6-6
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Print, 1969
- screenprint on heavy off-white wove paper..
- Gift of Tamar Cohen.
- 1999-6-6-8
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Print, "lavender-blue over green", Plate 5, "Color/Moire" Portfolio, 1969
- screenprint on heavy off-white wove paper..
- Gift of Tamar Cohen.
- 1999-6-6-9
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- Print, 1969
- screenprint on heavy off-white wove paper.
- Gift of Tamar Cohen.
- 1999-6-6-20
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Book, Insectes (Insects), ca. 1927
- H x W: 45 × 32.5 cm (17 11/16 × 12 13/16 in.).
- Smithsonian Libraries, NK1555.S47.
- 92.2016.64a,b
- THIS OBJECT IS NOT PUBLIC
- Book, An Exposition of English Insects, 1776
- H x W (open): 30 × 46 cm (11 13/16 × 18 1/8 in.).
- Smithsonian Libraries, QL482 .G7H315 1776.
- 92.2016.28
- There are 3 images of this object.