A dark, a light, a bright : the designs of Dorothy Liebes / [edited by] Susan Brown and Alexa Griffith Winton.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Liebes, Dorothy, illustrator.

Brown, Susan, 1965- editor.

Winton, Alexa Griffith, editor, writer of introduction.

Nicanor, Maria, 1980- writer of foreword.

Cooper-Hewitt Museum, host institution, publisher.

Yale University Press, publisher.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Liebes, Dorothy--Exhibitions.

Liebes, Dorothy.

Textile design--United States--History--20th century--Exhibitions.

Textile design.

Textile designers--United States--Exhibitions.

Textile designers.

Women textile designers--United States--Exhibitions.

Women textile designers.

Fiberwork--Exhibitions.

Fiberwork.

Genre:

exhibition catalogs.

Exhibition catalogs

Exhibition catalogs.

Physical Description:

253 pages : illustrations (chiefly color), portraits (some color) ; 27 cm

Other Title:

Designs of Dorothy Liebes

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Cooper Hewitt ; New Haven, CT : Yale, [2023]

Summary:

"The first major publication devoted to weaver and designer Dorothy Liebes, reinstating her as one of the most influential American designers of the twentieth century. At the time of her death, Dorothy Liebes (1897-1972) was called 'the greatest modern weaver and the mother of the twentieth-century palette.' As a weaver, she developed a distinctive combination of unusual materials, lavish textures, and brilliant colors that came to be known as the 'Liebes Look.' Yet despite her prolific career and recognition during her lifetime, Liebes is today considerably less well known than the men with whom she often collaborated, including Frank Lloyd Wright, Henry Dreyfuss, and Edward Durrell Stone. Her legacy also suffered due to the inability of the black-and-white photography of the period to represent her richly colored and textured works. Extensively researched and illustrated with full-color, accurate reproductions, this important publication examines Liebes's widespread impact on twentieth-century design. Essays explore major milestones of her career, including her close collaborations with major interior designers and architects to create custom textiles, the innovative and experimental design studio where she explored new and unusual materials, her use of fabrics to enhance interior lighting, and her collaborations with fashion designers, including Clare Potter and Bonnie Cashin. Ultimately, this book reinstates Liebes at the pinnacle of modern textile design alongside such recognized figures as Anni Albers and Florence Knoll. Beautifully designed by Estudio Herrera, the book offers the reader a tactile experience."-- Publisher's website, viewed on March 7, 2025.

Contents:

Foreword / Maria Nicanor

Introduction / Alexa Griffith Winton

Chapter I, Curtain walls : Dorothy Liebes and the modern American interior / John Stuart Gordon

Color

Chapter II, Vibrance and luminosity : textiles designed for light / Alexa Griffith Winton

Chapter III, The idea factory / Susan Brown

Texture

Chapter IV, Modern weaving's global ambassador / Emily M. Orr

Chapter V, Modern fashion's secret weapon / Leigh Wishner

Glitter

Chapter VI, The Liebes look : better and better for less and less / Monica Penick

Chapter VII, Fission : design and mentorship in the Dorothy Liebes studio / Erica Warren

Materials

Chronology.

Notes:

"Published in conjunction with the exhibition 'A Dark, a Light, a Bright: the Designs of Dorothy Liebes,' organized by Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York, July 7, 2023-February 4, 2024"--Page 253.

Title from interior spine lining; names of publishers from inside front cover.

"Bibliography": pages 236-242.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Published on the occasion of the exhibition of the same title, organized by Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York, July 7, 2023-February 4, 2024.

"The real cloth cover with silkscreened typography and inset photograph opens to reveal an exposed spine and colored threads that tie together the page signatures and echo Liebes's own craft"--Publisher's website, viewed on March 7, 2025.

Athenaeum copy: Ashjean fund bookplate.

Other Format:

Online version: Dark, a light, a bright

ISBN:

9780300266153

0300266154

OCLC:

1346536164