Why Museum Stores Are the Best Place to Do Your Mother’s Day Shopping

Memphis Jewelry, Adrian Olabuenaga, 1985-6, $350.00 ($315.00 Members). The Memphis Design Group set the tone in the 1980s for its brightly colors, Postmodern aesthetic which included designs angular furniture and geometric jewelry. MoMA’s limited edition Memphis jewelry line featured dedicate enamel inlays, and is for the mom who isn’t afraid to rock the retro look.

MoMA

Bao Bao Issey Miyake Lucent Tote Bag, $425.00 ($382.50 Members). Miyake’s architectural tote bag has become a timeless fashion accessory. The bag, which is made of polyvinyl chloride features an adjustable strap for comfort, and comes in a variety of sizes and colors.

MoMA

Sumerian Golden Leaves Necklace, $450.00 ($405.00 Members). This gold, lapis lazuli and carnelian beaded necklace is based on a similar item from the Met’s collection which dated from 2600-2500 B.C. Mesopotamia. The original item was uncovered during excavations at the ancient city of Ur, and belonged to a woman who was once a servant to the king.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Fouquet Deco Brooch, $75.00 ($67.50 Members). Asian motifs were a huge trend in French Art Deco jewelry, as exemplified in this Fouquet Deco Brooch which is inspired by piece from 1923 in the museum’s holdings, made of jade, onyx, diamonds, enamel and platinum.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hoffman Compact, $230. This gold-plated brass compact is a recreation of a 1910 design by Josef Hoffman and Bertold Löffler, and contains Lucidity translucent pressed powder by Estée Lauder and comes neatly packaged in a box featuring imagery from Gustav Klimt’s masterpiece portrait Adele Bloch-Bauer I.

Neue Galerie

Leibling Aerin Rose Balm Lipstick, $34. Having tried Aerin’s buttery lipsticks myself, I can say that mom won’t be disappointed in the company’s limited edition shade inspired by the color of Adele Bloch-Bauer I’s lips in Klimt’s 1907 portrait.

Neue Galerie

Marilyn Minter MakeUp Bag, $35.00 ($31.50 Members). New York painter Marilyn Minter’s solo exhibition Pretty/Dirty just wrapped this weekend, but now Mom can carry a detail from one of the artist’s glossy high octane images with her everywhere she goes.

Brooklyn Museum

Votes For Women Souvenir Mug, $19.95 ($17.95 Members). This commemorative mug celebrates—with every cup of coffee—the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which on August 26, 1920 gave women the right to vote.

Brooklyn Museum

Zoë Comings Gold Teardrop Earrings, $70.00 ($63.00 Members). Contemporary designer Zoë Coming, who hails from Austin, Texas, creates delicate handmade porcelain pieces that can be worn with almost anything.

SFMOMA

Nach Panther Bracelet, $145.00 ($130.50 Members). The Nach family is known for their porcelain miniatures, and now Nancy and Nadia Nach are continuing their family tradition with a lion of bold animal-inspired jewelry items like this panther cuff.

SFMOMA

Robert Mapplethorpe Orchid Perfumed Candle, $45.60. Mapplethorpe’s elegant floral still lives are timeless classic images. His orchid photo comes to life with a scented candle featuring a fragrance from Givaudan perfumer Shyamala Maisondieu and Olivier Pescheux.

LACMA

Robert Mapplethorpe 'Red Tulip' Plate, $97.00, ($87.30 Members). While Mapplethorpe’s flower still lives are reproduced in black and white on the museum’s collection of scented candles, these dinner plates are full color and feature the artist’s 1988 photo ‘Tulip’ on French porcelain.

LACMA

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When most people think of museum gift stores it’s postcards, pencils and the odd magnet that come to mind. Who doesn’t want a memento to remember seeing the Mona Lisa in person? But these days, museum gift stores have become one-stop shopping for some of the leading names in design, accessories and more.

The Museum of Modern Art’s MoMA Design store has standalone locations in both New York and Tokyo which carry a mix of contemporary designers’ products and items inspired by works in the museum’s collections. The Neue Galerie carries high quality reproductions of pieces from the Biedermeier, Bauhaus and Vienna 1900 eras, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art features a wide range of jewelry and decorative objects inspired by historic items in the museum’s galleries.

So forget outlet stores or online flash sales, here are a selection of unique and stylish items for Mom from, where else, but a museum near you.

These Museum Stores Are the Best Place to Do Your Mother’s Day Shopping

From jewelry to design objects, museum gift stores are the best place to find something unique for Mom

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