For nearly all of human history, we have lived among objects. They serve a purpose, shape our surroundings and often take on meanings beyond their function. We are less interested in design for design’s sake than in objects themselves, how they are made, where they come from and why they continue to make us feel the way we do.

Museum Gift Shop brings together a varied selection of objects from different places and traditions, chosen for their form, material, context and character. Some are familiar, others less so. Together, they reflect the many ways people have made, used and lived with things.