
Ever balked at the small-talk standard: “What’s your favorite color?” Fear not, because the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s “Saturated: The Allure and Science of Color” can help untangle the mysteries of how we use and perceive different hues. Featuring 190 artifacts—including Sir Isaac Newton’s color theory texts, the playfully pink Henry Dreyfuss Associates–designed Signature Princess Telephone (1993), and the riotus CMYK tapestry of Fanette Mellier’s Specimen poster—the exhibition explores the optics, creation, and commercial appeal of color, and the ways new technologies are sparking innovation.

“Saturated: The Allure and Science of Color” is on view through Jan. 13, 2019.




