Serious Play Design in Midcentury America Monica Obniski, Darrin Alfred, Amy Auscherman, Steven Heller, Pat Kirkham, Alexandra Lange
- Price: £40.00
- Pre-order
- Format:
- Hardback
- Publication date:
- 23 Oct 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780300234220
- Imprint:
- Yale University Press
- Dimensions:
- 256 pages: 279 x 241mm
- Illustrations:
- 153 color + 51 b-w illus.
Categories:
A lively exploration of eclecticism, playfulness, and whimsy in American postwar design, including architecture, graphic design, and product design
This spirited volume shows how postwar designers embraced whimsy and eclecticism in their work, exploring playfulness as an essential construct of modernity. Following World War II, Americans began accumulating more and more goods, spurring a transformation in the field of interior decoration. Storage walls became ubiquitous, often serving as a home’s centerpiece. Designers such as Alexander Girard encouraged homeowners to populate their new shelving units with folk art, as well as unconventional and modern objects, to produce innovative and unexpected juxtapositions within modern architectural settings. Playfulness can be seen in the colorful, child-sized furniture by Charles and Ray Eames, who also produced toys. And in the postwar corporate world, the concept of play is manifested in the influential advertising work of Paul Rand. Set against the backdrop of a society that was experiencing rapid change and high anxiety, Serious Play takes a revelatory look at how many of the country’s leading designers connected with their audience through wit and imagination.
This spirited volume shows how postwar designers embraced whimsy and eclecticism in their work, exploring playfulness as an essential construct of modernity. Following World War II, Americans began accumulating more and more goods, spurring a transformation in the field of interior decoration. Storage walls became ubiquitous, often serving as a home’s centerpiece. Designers such as Alexander Girard encouraged homeowners to populate their new shelving units with folk art, as well as unconventional and modern objects, to produce innovative and unexpected juxtapositions within modern architectural settings. Playfulness can be seen in the colorful, child-sized furniture by Charles and Ray Eames, who also produced toys. And in the postwar corporate world, the concept of play is manifested in the influential advertising work of Paul Rand. Set against the backdrop of a society that was experiencing rapid change and high anxiety, Serious Play takes a revelatory look at how many of the country’s leading designers connected with their audience through wit and imagination.
Monica Obniski is Demmer Curator of Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Design at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Darrin Alfred is curator of architecture, design, and graphics at the Denver Art Museum.
-
Jan Tschichold and the New Typography
Paul Stirton£25.00 -
Art Deco Chicago
Robert Bruegmann£60.00 -
The Art of Graphic Design
Bradbury Thompson£35.00 -
Nature by Design
Stephen R. Kellert£30.00 -
From Lascaux to Brooklyn
Paul Rand£40.00 -
Design, Form, and Chaos
Paul Rand£40.00 -
Tastemaker
Monica Penick£50.00 -
The Art of Brutalism
Ben Highmore£35.00 -
The Jazz Age
Stephen Harrison£45.00 -
Gardens of Court and Country
David Jacques£45.00 -
Gather Out of Star-Dust
Melissa Barton£20.00 -
Clothing Art
Aileen Ribeiro£55.00 -
Design
Jessica Helfand£20.00 -
High Style
Jan Reeder£20.00 -
Exhibiting Fashion
Judith Clark£35.00 -
The Arts and Crafts Movement in Scotland
Annette Carruthers£60.00 -
A Queer History of Fashion
Valerie Steele£35.00 -
The Mechanical Smile
Caroline Evans£40.00 -
Artist/Rebel/Dandy
Kate Irvin£35.00