The Century of Modern Design

Of the myriad books on modernism—some more enlightening than others—The Century of Modern Design (Flammarion) will likely prove to be an important one. Culled from the Liliane and David M. Stewart collection (now part of the permanent collection at the Montreal Museum of Modern Art), the highlighted pieces are chronicled by decade, from 1930 through 2009. Designers range from the most revered to the little-known; some, where appropriate to the ongoing story and depending on their prolificness, appear more than once (the Eameses, Gaetano Pesce, Verner Panton). Edited by David A. Hanks, the book unfolds as a careful study of what we have come to call modern, exemplified here as a series of artful movements that are at times so innovative, they almost defy categorization.

Slideshow

Russel Wright’s circa 1935 aluminum-and-walnut punch bowl with 12 cups reflects his “aim to reach a broad range of consumers, especially in the Depression years.” Photo by Denis Farley.

2011 Modernism Show

The 2011 Modernism Show, held in the cavernous Barker Hangar at Santa Monica Airport, brought both rarities and new interpretations within the category.
Upcoming Auction at LA Modern

Original Ettore Sottsass furniture and accessories that were custom designed and built for the late tech pioneer Max Palevsky will hit the auction block March 6th at LA Modern.
Charlotte Perriand: Designer, Photographer, Activist

Charlotte Perriand (1903–1999), one of the most innovative interior and furniture designers of the 20th century, did not only strive towards a change in forms but also towards an improvement in social conditions. After the tubular steel furniture, which she developed particularly in partnership with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, she preferred the natural material of wood with its free forms. At the same time her photography, which she approached in a radically modern way, became an impulse for her work. There followed grand stagings of magical objects found on beaches or in junkyards. Charlotte Perriand shared this interest for the poetry of “Art Brut” with Pierre Jeanneret and Fernand Léger, with whom she repeatedly worked. The opening of the archive now provides a longoverdue opportunity to rediscover this important pioneer as a furniture designer, as a photographer and—with her reconstructed large-format collages—as a socially committed woman.

The exhibition is on view unitl October 24th at the Musem of Design Zurich.
Modern in the Making

It's easy to obsess over mid-century design and forget what came before it and ignore modernism's evolution during the six decades since.