Eero Saarinen: A Reputation for Innovation was a retrospective of the renowned architect’s work and a study of the design principles he followed. The exhibition paid tribute to Saarinen’s brief yet brilliant career, in which he designed numerous corporate, educational, cultural, public, and private buildings, including recognizable icons like the Saint Louis Gateway Arch, the TWA Terminal at New York’s JFK Airport, and Dulles Airport in Washington DC.

The exhibition also broke new ground by shedding light on a little known chapter of Saarinen’s secret professional life during World War II, when he served in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor of the CIA. This wartime experience helped establish Saarinen as a designer willing to break technological and aesthetic boundaries.