"Garbo" Can

Currently not on view

"Garbo" Can

Designed 1995

Designed by Karim Rashid (Canadian (born Egypt), 1960) Made by Umbra, Ltd., Toronto (1979–present)

Its name a blend of Hollywood and garbage, the sculptural, translucent "Garbo" wastebasket that Rashid designed for Umbra in 1995 has also been used variously as a clothes hamper, flower vase, and champagne cooler. For Rashid, its highly tactile polypropylene material proved an excellent medium in which to explore ideas of dematerialization. "You feel in a sense that there is very little there," he said of Garbo, "yet it is so flexible that basically it's indestructible."

Currently not on view

Object Details

Titles:

"Garbo" Can

Date:

Designed 1995

Artists:

Designed by Karim Rashid (Canadian (born Egypt), 1960) Made by Umbra, Ltd., Toronto (1979–present)

Medium:

Molded high-impact virgin polypropylene

Dimensions:

17 x 13 x 13 1/2 inches (43.2 x 33 x 34.3 cm)

Classification:

Containers

Credit Line:

Gift of Umbra, Ltd., 1999

Accession Number:

1999-107-3

Geography:

Made in Canada, North and Central America

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Currently not on view