Now on view:
Betty Woodman in The Mad MAD World of Jonathan Adler
Museum of Arts and Design
New York, New York
Through April 19, 2026

Curated by potter, interior designer, and author Jonathan Adler, this vibrant exhibition at MAD brings together over 60 works from the museum’s permanent collection, juxtaposed with Adler’s own iconic designs. The show offers a playful and deeply personal tour through Adler’s creative fascinations, presented through a series of thematic vignettes: Authentica, Funkiana, Kottler-ia, Erotica, Americalia, Metallica, Animalia, and Optimistica—which celebrates “eye-catching surfaces and ebullient forms that manifest the power of artwork and décor to make us feel happy.” Here, Betty Woodman’s overscaled Indonesian Napkin Holder—a jubilant fusion of exaggerated scale and vivid colors—is shown alongside works by Fong Chow, Glidden Parker, and Philip Maberry. In an interview with ELLE Decor, Adler reflected on his curatorial choices:

“In a funny way, it was about me remembering who my heroes were… I had to have a piece by Betty Woodman whose focus on craftsmanship was merged with a sense of joy… It was a chance to revisit my heroes and see how all of their sensibilities have found their way into my own work.”