The Wolfsonian – FIU

The Wolfsonian – Florida International University is a design museum located in the heart of historic Miami Beach, within easy walking distance of the world-famous Art Deco hotels. Its fascinating collection of objects from the modern era (1885-1945) focuses on how art and design shape and reflect the human experience. The museum further engages the visitor by complementing its collection with thought-provoking discussions of the context and connection among its objects. We encourage visitors to explore the material culture of the past to better understand its relevance to the present.

The Wolfsonian collection contains artifacts primarily of North American and European origin, dating from 1885–1945. It comprises a variety of media: furniture; industrial-design objects; glass, ceramics, and metalwork; rare books; periodicals; ephemera; works on paper; including architectural drawings, posters, and fine art prints; paintings; textiles; and medals. The nations most comprehensively represented are the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Russia/Soviet Union. The objects are interpreted to explore key issues in design history – the way design has both altered and been altered by cultural change, industrial innovation, and strategies of persuasion.

Prior to it becoming a museum 1997, this Mediterranean Revival structure served to store the private collection of founder Mitchell Wolfson Jr. Before that, this architecture gem was used as a warehouse for the citizens of Miami Beach. Wealthy visitors could use it to store their valuables during extended stays.

The museum is located on Washington Avenue, in the heart of the Historic Art Deco District in Miami Beach.