He was the son of American painter Robert Gwathmey and photographer Rosalie Gwathmey, and was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. Charles Gwathmey studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. Read More →
In 1976, the Ergon chair was introduced by Bill Stumpf, a designer for Herman Miller. It had a foam-filled back and seat, gas-lift levers to change the height and tilt. The Ergon was based on the new science of ergonomics, first used to design aeroplane cockpits.Read More →
Eliot Noyes (1910 – 1977) was an industrial designer from the United States. From 1928 to 1932, he studied architecture at Harvard University, followed by stints at the Graduate School of Design from 1932 to 1935 and 1937 to 1938. Read More →
John Vassos was a Greek illustrator and designer born in Bucharest and professionally active in Boston. He studied at the Boston, Museum of Fine Arts School, and Art Students’ League, and produced graphic design for labels, packages, and small appliances. He used applied psychology to analyse buying habits and motivations. Read More →
The American Union of Decorative Artists and Craftsmen (AUDAC) was an organisation of designers and artists engaged in designing for individual needs, commercial organisations, industrial firms, heads of stores and manufacturing establishments, and all other persons interested in the industrial, decorative, and applied arts. Read More →
In 1928, Oreste Pennino registered a series of 12 trademarks used from 1926 and illustrating signs of the Zodiac. The firm produced bracelets, rings, clips, earrings, lockets, and brooches and, from 1947, watches and watchcases. Its wares were designed in the forms of flower bouquets, fruit, leaves, and trees in rose, pale and dark blue, and violet. The firm closed in 1961.Read More →
Isaac Elwood Scott (1845 – 1920) was an American furniture designer, woodcarver, and ceramicist, active in Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, and Boston. He founded Scott and Copeland, Designers, Carvers, and Art Wood Workers, and collaborated with Henry S. Jaffray to create the interiors and design of Warder, Bushnell, and Glessner’s new Chicago headquarters. Read More →
Walter Allner (1906–2006) was an American painter and designer known for his creativity, artistic skill, and imagination. He was trained at the Bauhaus under Josef Albers, Wassily Kandinsky, and Joost Schmidt and used bold colours, strong typography, and striking imagery in his designs.Read More →
Cary’s father moved to the Adirondacks area of New York State in the year 1845. In 1874, Brandreth asked Cary to make him 24 chairs with slatted backs, plain turned legs, and splint seats in a traditional style. Cary may have made some of the rustic furniture in the cottages at Brandreth Park.Read More →
Marmon Sixteen was a masterpiece of automotive history, with a 491 cubic inch, all-alloy 16-cylinder engine and modern and tasteful design. The Marmon Sixteen was a unique and innovative design that left a lasting impression on the automotive industry, but its high price tag made it difficult to sell. READ MORERead More →
Charles Pfister (1939 to 1990) was an American interior and furniture designer and architect. He was professionally active in San Francisco.Read More →
Dorothy Draper (1889 – 1969) was an American interior designer. She was born in Tuxedo Park, New York. Draper’s upper-crust upbringing, Tuxedo Park was one of the first gated communities in the United States. Dorothy’s parents were part of an old New England family with longstanding social connections. Dorothy’s childhood was spent playing in high-ceilinged ballrooms.Read More →
Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture is a place for artists to live and work, and is one of the only U.S. schools to teach the ancient art of fresco. Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture raised $21 million to help young artists and create an archive of over 700 lectures. LEARN MORERead More →
Keith Haring was best known for his graffiti-like painting, initially on the black paper used to cover discontinued billboard advertisements in the New York subway. After after a feverish 1980’s style career of surging popular success and grudging critical attention, Haring died of AIDS in 1991 at the age of 31.Read More →
Jay Spectre (1930 – 1992) was an American Interior and furniture designer. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He was professionally active in New York.
He began his interior design career in 1951 in Louisville. In 1968, he established the design company Jay Spectre, in New York. He designed interiors for luxury homes, private jet aircraft, yachts, and offices, which showed Art Deco, Asian, and African influences with high-tech and hand-carved elements. Read More →
Oscar Onken (1858 – 1948) was an American entrepreneur. He was professionally active in Ohio. Onken was a prominent businessman and philanthropist. Impressed with the Gustav Stickley and Austrian stands at the 1904 St. Louis ‘Louisiana Purchase Exposition,’ he founded The Shop of the Crafts in Cincinnati in 1904. Read More →
Harry Bertoia was a sculptor, printmaker, jeweller, and furniture designer. He was born in San Lorenzo, Udine, and worked in the United States professionally. During World War Two he worked with Ray and Charles Eames on moulded-plywood technology. He worked primarily as a sculptor from the mid-1950s onwards. His sculpture was prominently featured in many of Eero Saarinen’s buildings.Read More →
American writer who exposed the negative effects of consumerism in the developed world, including The Hidden Persuaders, Waste Makers, The Naked Society, and The People Shapers. He was a member of a long line of critics of capitalist culture. LEARN MORERead More →
John Mascheroni has been designing furniture for his entire career, recognized for his design acuity and modernism. LEARN MORERead More →
He was a designer for furniture maker Herter Brothers, commissioned by the company to furnish the New York William H. Vanderbilt House, 1881-83. LEARN MORERead More →