The Other Ellen DeGeneres Show
In the newest edition of Cooper Hewitt’s “Selects” series, Ellen DeGeneres (yes, that Ellen DeGeneres) has built an eclectic exhibit culled from the museum’s 210,000-object collection, as well as DeGeneres’s private collection. The exhibition, open now at the Cooper Hewitt (2 E. 91st St., nr. Fifth Ave.; 212-849-2950), features objects ranging from a Peruvian earthenware vessel and Egyptian votive box to a 1935 drawing by Christina Malman and a late-19th-century music box. Online admission to the museum is $16 general, $10 seniors, $7 students, and free for members and for ages 18 and under. Through May 21.
Pierre Chareau at the Jewish Museum
The prolific early modern French designer Pierre Chareau has been overlooked in the recent history of architecture, which is something that the Jewish Museum (1109 Fifth Ave., nr. 92nd St.; 212-423-3200) is now trying to change. This month, the museum will open the first-ever U.S. exhibition of Chareau’s work, “Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design”. The installation will include furniture, lighting fixtures, and interiors from Chareau, as well as designs for Chareau’s iconic Maison de Verre, a glass house he collaboratively created in Paris in 1932. Chareau was also an avid art collector, and pieces of his collection, including works from Piet Mondrian, Amedeo Modigliani, Jacques Lipchitz, and Max Ernst, will be showcased in the exhibit. Museum admission is $15 general, $12 seniors, $7.50 students, and free for ages 18 and under. Thursday evenings are pay-what-you-wish. Through March 26.
Gates of Chicago
On November 21, at 7 p.m. the Architectural League’s Current Work series will host artist, activist, and urban planner Theaster Gates in the John L. Tishman Auditorium at the New School (63 Fifth Ave., nr. Union Sq.; 212-229-8900). Known for combining urban planning with art and design throughout disadvantaged neighborhoods in his hometown of Chicago, Gates will discuss his work in a lecture and conversation with architect Billie Tsien. Gates is the founder of the nonprofit Rebuild Foundation and a professor of visual art and director of Arts and Public Life at the University of Chicago. Admission is $15 for nonmembers.