The Shops at Thirteen Forty Five in Palm Springs present BE SEATED, a striking new exhibition by master printmaker Eric Rewitzer, curated by James Bacchi, celebrating the sculptural elegance of modernist chair design. Featuring a series of 12 linocut prints depicting iconic Midcentury Modern chairs, the exhibition opens on Saturday, February 14, coinciding with Modernism Week and the venue’s FOR THE LOVE OF MODERNISM Valentine’s Day party, from 4–7 p.m.
For curator James Bacchi, BE SEATED marks his third solo exhibition of Rewitzer’s work in Palm Springs. Modernism Week collectors may recall Rewitzer’s sold-out MCM MONSTERS (2024) and its follow-up, THE PROTAGONISTS (2025), both presented at James Bacchi Contemporary. This latest body of work represents a bold and refreshing shift.
“When Rewitzer showed me this series of Midcentury chairs, I jumped,” says Bacchi. “It’s a complete departure from the last two exhibitions. Taking the spotlight off Godzilla, Ghidorah, Mothra, and Gamera to focus on the designs of Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, Arne Jacobsen, and Frank Gehry—what can I say? This show is a curator’s Modernism Week dream.”
For Rewitzer, the series is deeply personal. “This body of work traces back to my childhood in West Michigan, where these chairs were created and were simply part of everyday life in the homes of friends and family,” he explains. His appreciation for design was shaped early on by his college art teacher and lifelong mentor, John Walon, an avid collector who spoke passionately about the beauty and intelligence of these forms. Years later, a visit to a SFMOMA exhibition showcasing the chairs in pristine, museum-quality condition planted the seed that would eventually become BE SEATED.
Rewitzer’s work continues to gain national and international recognition, with exhibitions across the United States and in Paris. His prints are collected worldwide, and he has been featured in Palm Springs Life, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times Magazine, and on NBC-TV Palm Springs. His recent induction into the California Society of Printmakers and an upcoming feature in the California Printmaking Journal further cement his growing reputation.
Already, five of the ten editions of BE SEATED have been placed in significant collections, including the Herman Miller Headquarters in Zeeland, Michigan, and the collection of Michael and Gabrielle Boyd, authors of Sitting on the Edge, considered a definitive catalogue of the era. According to Bacchi, the Palm Springs exhibition offers collectors a rare opportunity: five complete remaining series of 12 prints from the edition of 10 will be available, along with larger individual chair prints in editions of five, each signed and numbered by the artist.
Printed as linocuts on BFK Rives paper, BE SEATED runs through April 10, 2026, at The Shops at Thirteen Forty Five, 1345 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs. Gallery hours are Thursday through Monday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
