In the years between the world wars, a pioneer group of designers, architects, and artists-including Norman Bel Geddes, Donald Deskey, Paul Frankl, Raymond Loewy, Gilbert Rohde, Eliel Saarinen, Walter Dorwin Teague, and Russel Wright-forged a new design aesthetic that was unmistakably American and undeniably modern.
This book, the companion volume to an exhibition organized by the American Federation of Arts and opening at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, showcases more than 125 of the most influential works by these and other legendary designers. From chairs, dinnerware, and textiles to lamps, cocktail sets, and clocks, these strikingly innovative objects made stylish modern design accessible to a broad audience-and are much sought after by collectors today.
The introductory essay ranges from the role of museums and department stores in promoting modern design to the obsession with streamlining to the origins of planned obsolescence. This extraordinary book is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in American design.