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Serious play : design in midcentury America / edited by Monica Obniski and Darrin Alfred.
- Format:
- Book
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Design--United States--History--20th century.
- Design.
- United States.
- History.
- Interior decoration--United States--History--20th century.
- Interior decoration.
- Play.
- Toys.
- Children's furniture.
- Genre:
- Catalogs.
- Physical Description:
- xi, 244 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 29 cm
- Other Title:
- Design in midcentury America
- Place of Publication:
- New Haven : Yale University Press, [2018]
- Summary:
- 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. Exhibition: Milwaukee Art Museum, USA (28.09.2018-06.01.2019); Denver Art Museum, USA (05.05-25.08.2019).
- Notes:
- Catalog of an exhibition held at Milwaukee Art Museum, September 28, 2018-January 6, 2019 and Denver Art Museum, May 5-August 25, 2019.
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- ISBN:
- 9780300234220
- 0300234228
- OCLC:
- 1028880197
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