The Modernica x Barbara Kruger collaboration brings one of contemporary art’s most recognizable visual languages into the realm of functional design through two limited-edition works: the Case Study® Fiberglass Barbara Kruger Side Chair, Love It – Shove It, and the Case Study® Fiberglass Barbara Kruger Aiko Table, Want It – Need It. Produced in editions of 150 chairs and 250 tables, each work combines Kruger’s incisive text with Modernica’s iconic Case Study® Collection, a landmark of California modernism. Created in support of The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), proceeds from the collaboration benefit the museum’s exhibitions and public programs.
Drawing on Kruger’s bold use of language and image, the collaboration transforms everyday furniture into works that invite reflection on consumption, desire, identity, and power—hallmarks of the artist's practice for more than four decades, reinforcing a shared commitment to art, design, and cultural dialogue. Since 1989, Modernica has handcrafted fiberglass furniture in its Los Angeles factory using the original techniques developed during the mid-twentieth century. Each chair and table is individually handcrafted from layers of fiberglass and pigmented resin, creating subtle variations in fiber pattern, translucency, and tone that make every piece unique.
For Kruger, whose work has long appropriated the visual language of advertising, publishing, and mass media to examine the ways images and words shape our understanding of the world, the collaboration represents a natural extension of her practice. By placing her unmistakable text on functional objects designed for everyday use, the project encourages viewers to consider how language operates not only in museums and public space but also within the domestic environments we inhabit.
The Modernica x Barbara Kruger collaboration highlights the dynamic relationship between contemporary art and design while celebrating Los Angeles as a center of artistic innovation and manufacturing. Together, Modernica and Barbara Kruger have created a collection that bridges art, craft, and design, transforming iconic furniture into thought-provoking works that engage audiences beyond the gallery and advance MOCA's mission to present the art of our time.
