decorative arts of the twentieth century the metropolitan museum of art bulletin v 37 no 3 winter...

8/12/2019 Decorative Arts of the Twentieth Century the Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin v 37 No 3 Winter 1979 1980

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ArtDeco style.The orientalmethodofapplying ayeron layerof 'resins,whichhehad firstused to decorate hammeredmetalvases, became his all-consumingcraft.Dunand ventuallyhad to employupto one hundred ndo-Chinese ssistants inhis Parisworkshop o helphimcompleteorders orlacquerpanels,screens, andfurniturehatflowedinfromarchitects,artistesdecorateurs,and privateclients.Thispairof screens, titledBattleof theAngels:Crescendoand Pianissimo,wascommissioned or the music roomof Mr.andMrs.SolomonR.Guggenheim'sLong


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Island home. Golden airborne figuresdesigned by Seraphin Soudbinine (1870-1944), a favorite student of Rodin, chargethrough clouds interpreted by Dunand inshattered eggshell pressed into a damplayer of lacquer. Dunand was so lavish inhis use of gold for angels that he wasobliged to write requesting an additional500 dollars to cover his expenditure. Theheroic figuralaspect of Art Deco neverreceived great emphasis in France, but itwas quickly adopted for architecturalornament in the United States, notably atRockefeller Center.1925-26. Lacquered wood, h. 98 in. Giftof Mrs. Solonion R. Guggenheim,50.1023.4


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aurice Marinot (1882-1960) wasthe first artist of the modernperiod to master the arduous skill ofglassblowing. Originally a Fauvistpainter, who participated in the 1913Armory Show, he became fascinatedwith the molten medium in 1911 on avisit to a glass factory owned by friendsat Bar-sur-Seine. With these facilities putat his disposal he first worked on the

decoration of finished pieces whileapprenticing himself to the glass-blowers, or gaffers. Itwas not until 1922that he felt he could exhibit glass he hadblown himself. His interpretations of thelife of the material, recording in thefinished piece its transmutation fromliquid to solid, earned him great esteem.Within simple shapes that relate to ArtDeco, he captured galaxies of change-

able light and substance, surfacesexploding one within the other. Uponthe closing of the Bar-sur-Seine factoryin 1937, Marinot's work in glassceased. Itwould be another 25 years,and then in the United States, beforeglassmaking would become available tothe independent artist.Jar and bottle: 1925-29. H. 9 in., 43/4 in.Rogers Fund, 1970.198.2,3ab

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he couturier Jacques Doucet was anextraordinarypatron of the arts. In1912 he sold his collection of Frencheighteenth-century art at an auction thatbrokeall records, and used the profits toacquire avant-garde works. He laterconstructed a studio in the Paris suburbof Neuillyspecifically to house his paint-ings by Picasso (from whom hepurchased the Demoiselles d'Avignon),Douanier Rousseau, Braque, Picabia,and Matisse, as well as his African art.

This stool and table formed part of thefurnishings of the studio, completed onlymonths before Doucet's death in 1929.While the shape of the stool by PierreLegrain (1889-1929) was certainlyinspired by an African chieftain's throne,its crisp carving is French stylization. Thetable is by an unsung master of Art Deco,Clement Rousseau (b. 1872), whosesignature was discovered concealed inthe structure by a Museum conservator Areligious medal secreted under the

tabletop was also uncovered and restoredin place. Forall their obvious precious-ness, the table's materials are practical,since sharkskin is impervious to hand-printsand the rings left by wet drinkingglasses. The design is also functional, inthat the hairpin legs, which also serve ashandles, make this luxurypiece bothportable and sturdyStool. 1922-29. Rosewood, h. 12 in.Table. 1924. Ebony sharkskin, and ivory,h. 291/2 n. Fletcher Fund, 1972. 283.1,2

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his ArtD6co muralof 1934 was onof fourcoveringthe cornersof thelargest publicroomever constructed onship,the GrandSalonof the linerNormandie. ean Dupas(1882-1964), aillustratorndfashionablemuralist, hothe historyof navigationas his nominasubject,butthe profusionof quasi-histicalvessels and miscellaneousmythicacreatureswas clearlynot meantto tellastorybutto createan overwhelmingeffect. Passengers on the Normandiepaidnotso muchfortransportations fatmosphere,andthe first-classloungewas a templeof glamourThemirrorlikerilliance f the muralwas achievedbyan unusual echniqueglass decoration.Segmentsof the scenewere paintedon the reverseof panelsoplateglass. Goldand silverleaf werethlaidon anda canvas backingaffixed.Only ighting ixtures nterruptedhe vasexpanse of the juxtaposedglass panels(the top rankof whichcouldnot beaccommodated nthe Museumgallerywherethe muralhas been installedsinc1978). Eachpanelmeasuresapproxi-mately ourbytwoand one-halffeet andweighsbetweenfifty-five ndfifty-sevenpounds.

Giftof Drand Mrs.IrwinR. Berman,1976.414.3


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The Normandiewas the lastgreatexpres-sionof FrenchArtDeco. Governmentsubsidiesmadeit possiblefor theCompagnieGeneraleTransatlantiqueobeginin 1932 the building f a shipthatwas to be the largest,fastest, and mostbeautiful float.Such extravagance nthemiddleof the Depressionwas justifiedbythe purpose he Normandiewas intendedto serve. Justas the 1925 ParisExposi-tion hadwooedthe worldwithFrench

luxuryproducts,so the Normandiewas tolureAmericans o the shores of France,by bringingo theirdoorstepthe food,wine,furnishings, nd decor for whichFrancewas famed.NewYork,which welcomed theNormandiewith wildenthusiasmafter hermaidencrossingin 1935, was also to bethe scene of her demise. Seized bytheUnitedStates inWorldWar I, he linerwas beingstripped or use as a troop

carrierwhensparksfroman acetelynetorchstarted a blaze inthe GrandSalon.Firefightingffortscaused herto capsizeon February 0, 1942, at Manhattan'sPier88, where she remainedmore than ayearbefore she was rightedand towedawayforscrap. Fortunately,he muralshad been removedbeforethe fire.(Above)Renderingof the GrandSalon ofthe Normandie.Below)TheNormandiein New YorkHarbor,bout 1935-39

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" continue to believe that the circlewhich explains the world in its entiretyis the ideal figure, and the curve, whichrelates to it, is more noble than thestraight line," wrote Jean Puiforcat(1897-1945) in a letter of 1933. Consid-ered the last of the great French silver-smiths, Puiforcat used his medium tosearch for a Platonic ideal of formthrough mathematical harmony Helearned the craft from his father andbegan showing his own works in 1922.They were fine examples of Art Decoobjects, often incorporating semipreciousstones, but he came to look back on themas merely chic. In the 1930s he turned toaustere exercises in pure volume andshape in which the only contrasts are, forinstance, the spheres of clear glass thatpunctuate the base of the beaker (above)or the gilded areas on the covered bowl(opposite page). Although his work wassometimes criticized as mechanical, herejected the machine as soulless, andrealized seamless geometric formsthrough his consummate exploitation ofthe silversmith's skills. His purism andcraftsmanship made him acceptable bothto Le Corbusier,the firebrand spokesmanof the InternationalStyle in France, and tothe conservative upholders of Frenchtradition.Beakers: 1934. Silver and glass, h. 41/2 in.Silver h. 4 in. Purchase, Edward C.Moore, Jr Gift, 34.105.2,3. Covered bowl:1930-40. Silver and silver-gilt,h. 97/8 in.Purchase, Edgar Kaufmann, Jr Gift,1972.5


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he impact of the 1925 Paris Exposi-tion was strongly felt in America.French imports were followed by imita-tions and adaptations, but the Depressionstanched any development along the linesof luxurycraftsmanship. Designers of the1930s, following the Bauhaus example,turned in the direction of industry andwere welcomed for the marketing advan-tage their treatment of a product mightgain.An entirely new style resulted that ismore properlyentitled Moderne, sleeklyformulated to evoke French chic, but asAmerican as Art Deco was French.Moderne was the look shared byHollywood sets and electric toasters, byRaymond Loewy's locomotives andDonald Deskey's furniture for the RadioCity Music Hall.Streamlined forms withglossy surfaces were assembled out ofpolished metal, glass, and Bakelite onfactory assembly lines. The resultdepended on the skill of a new artisticprofession, that of the industrialdesignerParticipating in the enthusiasm for whatwas sometimes called "beautility," he

Chase Brass & Copper Co. of Waterbury,Connecticut, made ornamental objects,like the candlesticks and bud vase (oppo-site page), from standard elements ofpipe and sheet metal that comprised themainstay of its business. This decorativedalliance, begun in 1931, terminated withwar production. Gilbert Rohde, workingfor the Herman Miller FurnitureCo. inZeeland, Michigan, also from 1931, intro-duced the Moderne line with designssuch as this electric clock. The conse-quences were lasting. Rohde's innovativefurniturewas so well received at the1933-34 Chicago Century of Progressfair that Millerphased out traditionalmodels and continues to this day as aleading manufacturer of progressivedesigns.Bud vase. 1936. Chrome, h. 83/4 in. Giftof Penelope Hunter-Stiebel, 1979.345.Candlesticks: 1931-41. Designed byReimann. Copper, h. 6 in. Clock. About1935. Brazilianrosewood and chrome, w.163/4 in. Purchase, The Chace Founda-tion, Inc. and Edgar Kaufmann, Jr Gifts,1976. 382.4,5,3


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T he Moderne style found its mostcomplete expression in vehicles. The1930s were the years of the classic auto-mobile, the luxurytrain, the first commer-cial passenger airplane. An iconographygrew up around speed. Streamliningreduces air resistance in a meaningful wayonly at extremely high speeds, but itbecame a device symbolic of the modernage. With the additional emphasis of wrap-around banding it was applied to every-thing from cameras to building fagades.This aesthetic is reflected in aspects ofthe interior decor of Rockefeller Center,the most ambitious architectural accom-plishment of the decade. Immediatelyafterthe WallStreet crash, John D. Rockefeller,Jr, undertook this New Yorkreal-estateventure as a personal investment in thefuture. Between 1930 and 1939 a citywithina city was erected on a plotbounded by 48th and 51st streets andFifth and Sixth avenues. Inthis complex,the building facing Saint Patrick's Cathe-dral was designated the "International

Building,"symbolizing Rockefeller'sinterest in a world community Officiallyopened on May 1, 1935, it houses consul-ates, internationalfirms, and the U.S.Passport AgencyIn 1978, when Rockefeller Center Inc.began the installation of 28 high-speedautomatic elevators to serve the 38-storytower of the InternationalBuilding, one ofthe originalcabs was carefully dismantledfor the Metropolitanby the WestinghouseElevatorCompanyThe elevators benefited from the sameattention Rockefeller's team of architectslavished on all public areas of thecomplex. The design of the cab visuallyalluded to the mechanical advances thatallowed the elevator to travel at recordspeed. By a process patented as Metyl-wood, thin sheets of Spanish elm wereapplied directly to the steel sections thatbolted together to form the cab. Theveneer, laid on so that the grain ran hori-zontally,was divided into registers bystrips of metal (a copper, zinc, and nickel

alloy known as German silver), polished toa satin finish. The back corners of the cabwere rounded off to make a continuouswrap. An innovative ventilation system waintegrated into the design. Inthe samespiritas the wall banding, concentriccircles of metal delineated a ceiling fanthat has come to be standard. Ventilationgrilles at floor and ceiling were designedas borders for the wraparound walls. Theelevator,exhibited in the Museum, standsas the visual symbol of technologicaladvance, epitomizing the Moderne ideal.(Opposite page) Elevator in the Interna-tional Building lobby 1978. (Above)Interiorof elevator by WestinghouseElectric and Manufacturing Company; cabby W.S. TylerCo. H. 8 ft. 1 in. Gift of Westinghouse Electric Corporation and Rock-efeller Center, Inc., 1979. 110 a-j. (Aboveright) Entrance to the InternationalBuilding with the figure of Atlas by LeeLawrie, about 1937; photograph courtesyof Rockefeller Center Inc.


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enmark entered the world market inthe 1950s with furnituredevelopedin conscious reaction to the clinicalqualityof Bauhaus design. DuringtheGerman occupation, architects anddesigners for want of larger projectsdirected their energy toward work withfurniturecraftsmen. Giving attention tocomfort and practicality, they developedclean forms that emphasized thesensuous appeal of the natural materialsused. Later,as a result of the internationalsuccess of the style known as DanishModern, models that had originated insmall workshops were adapted to larger-

scale production.Hans Wegner (b. 1914) was trained asa cabinetmaker and went on to design aseries of chairs that have becomeclassics as much for their comfort as fortheir appearance. His method of usingrefinements of joinery as ornament canbe seen in the Museum's 1952 chair(opposite page), where the contrastingbars at the center of the back are actuallymahogany joints that secure two piecesof walnut into a continuous crest rail.FinnJuhl (b. 1912) and Arne Jacobsen(1902-71) are both architects who haveapplied themselves to all aspects of

design. The moulded shells of Jacobsen's1958 Egg chair and Juhl's 1948 setteeseem to float on supports constructed togive the illusion of defying gravity Thesehovering shapes suggest an imageryappropriateto the inaugural years of thespace age.Hans Wegner chair: Made by JohannesHansen. Walnut,mahogany and cane, h.293/4 in. Arne Jacobsen chair: Made byFritz Hansen. Ox hide and aluminum, h.38 12in. Finn Juhl settee: Made by NielsVodder Teakand leather, I. 55%/ in.Purchase, Edward C. Moore, Jr Gift,61.7.45,46,47


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[n 1951 the industrial art of Finlandl -fl gained sudden internationalaccla| t t when it swept the prizes of the Milani l Triennale. he prestigious expositionii moderndesign. The outstandingI4 ib, i p J designers were TapioWirkkalab. 19it i /and TimoSarpaneva (b. 1926) who$I I |t1 i{ became best known for ornamental; i~ / ffl1 glassware. an industrythat in Finlandi ; i | f;p U |j dates back to the seventeenth centurU f ff | . Unlikethe unique objects of Marinotand today's Studio Craftartists.conceived and executed by the artistthemselves. Wirkkala's nd Sarpanevworksare designs turned over to skilworkmenfor multipleproduction.Thdistance between the graphic expres, kh1@ sion of the artist'sconcept and themeticulous repetitionof the final

B i (3|product imbues these works witha coi i~ perfection.iiI: llll Wirkkalaase (right):1950. Designed1 a gi j^1 ll for Karhula-littala.H. 8'3/16 in.i i 111 Sarpanevavase: 1953. Designed forKarhula-littala. H. 10 /2 in. Gift of Aarnimonen. Ministerof Commerce andIndustryof Finland.56.31.1.3

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Certain trends n American ulturesince the 1940s have led to the riseof today'sStudioCraftMovement. tsexponentshaveeffectivelyeliminated hedivisionof laborbetweendesignerandcraftsman ndchallengedthe prejudicialdistinctionbetweenthe fine and decora-tivearts.Theiractivities have beencenteredat institutions f higher earning,whichhave legitimizedhe choice topursuecraftdisciplinesrather hanpainting rsculptureand providedaplaceforthe new breed of artist-craftsmen o study,work,and teach.Insteadof the workshoporfactory, henew milieu s the studio,whereexpres-sions of a personalvision,interms ofbothfunctional nd nonfunctionalobjects,can be realized n the traditionalmaterials f ceramics,wood, glass, metal,andfiber.Theupheavalsof WorldWar Ihelpedcreatea matrix f American ollegecampusesfromwhichthe movementgrewto nationwideproportionsrom heisolatedaccomplishmentsof artistsusingcraft echniques.Partof the impetuscamefrommembersof the Bauhaus whohad been forcedto flee Europe nthedarkdays of the 1930s. They brought oAmerican cademiarigorouslymoraland

intellectualheories of design. TheBauhausconcept of the primacyof archi-tecture,unifying lldesign, hadthe effectof raising he status of mediarelegatedtothe so-called minorarts. Theshoddinessof the industrial nvironmentoonbecame an importantssue to a discon-tentedpostwargeneration.Their earchfor aesthetic enrichment ed to an explo-rationof everybranchof the arts,includingpreindustrialraditions,andeventuallyo the Studio CraftMovement'srejectionof the morerigid, ntellectualizedaspects of the Bauhausapproach.James Prestinib. 1908) was one of theearlyAmericanpractitioners nd teachersof Bauhausprinciples, o whichhe gaveindividual irection hroughhis own fasci-nationwith the qualitiesof wood. In 1939he became woodworkingnstructor t theChicagoInstitute f Design,founded twoyearsearlierby LaszloMoholy-Nagy sthe "New Bauhaus."Prestini ontinuedteachingthe fundamentsof pureformthrough ourdecades at Chicagoand theUniversity f California t BerkeleyTheseobjects (left)arefroma series of variants,ranging rom lattraysto hollowed-outbowls,that evolvedfromBauhaus exer-cises in the manipulationf materials.Employingathe-turning, basic carpentry

technique,Prestinihas created intellectuessays inwhich minimalorm s used tofocus the eye on the beautyof grainandcolor inherent nthe wood.Aneven more direct inkbetweentheBauhausand the Studio CraftMovementis providedbyAnniAlbers(b. 1899), whothroughherwork,writing,and teaching,has been largelyresponsible ortheacceptance of weavingas a contemporaartform.Weavingwas the specializationshe chose duringherstudentyears at theBauhaus.When he institutewas closedbythe Nazis in 1933, she and herhusband, he painterJosef Albers,settledinNorthCarolina o teach at Black MountainCollege.This wallhanging,a detail ofwhich is shown below,was designed inGermanynthe 1920s and rewoven orexhibitionnthe UnitedStates thirtyyearslaterIt ransfers o the tactile mediumoffiber he puristaesthetic of modernabstractpainting.(Left,from op) 1940-50. Birch,curlybirch, Mexican mahogany, diam. 159/16,8%, 1314 in. Gift of James Prestini, 69.1649, 14, 7. (Below)Purchase,EdwardC.Moore,Jr,and EverfastFabrics,Inc.Gift69.134


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hough he refused to teach,Wharton Esherick (1887-1970) isrecognized as a pioneer of the StudioCraft Movement, and his studio, now amuseum, is a point of pilgrimage. Origi-nally a painter, he became completelyimmersed in woodworking early in hiscareer. In 1913 he established hisretreat on a hillside near Paoli, asuburb of Philadelphia, and soonbegan to carve every aspect of hissurroundings, from staircase to servingspoons, while producing furniture forfriends who became his clients. His1962 cherrywood music stand demon-strates the freedom of Esherick's work,taking as its point of departure theconformation of the wood itself.H 43 in. Gift of Dr. Irwin R. Berman. inmemory of his father. Allan LakeBerman. 1979.320

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lass has become a major medium ofthe Studio Craft Movement since1962, when a seminar held at the ToledoMuseum of Artopened up the possibili-ties of glassblowing to the studio artist,ending its dependence on industry.Theseminar was led by the ceramic artist andeducator Harvey Littleton(b. 1922), whohas been the drivingforce in the develop-ment of what is virtuallya new profession,in which artists choose glass as theirexclusive medium and master thegruellingskills of the gaffer Now retiredfrom his post at the University ofWisconsin. Littleton continues to producepowerfulabstract works, such as his1976 Amber Crested Form,a giant foldedtube of blown glass crowned with asecond heavy gather A second genera-tion of glass artists is represented by TomPatti(b. 1943) whose novel method, usedin Banded Flair of 1977, involves stackedplate glass, heated to the point that it canbe blown into vessels in which vestiges ofthe initial structure become decoration.Amber Crested Form. H. 16/2 in. Gift ofWilliamD. and Rose D. Barker,1978.438.Banded Flair.H. 4 3/ in. Giftof DouglasHellerand Josh Rosenblatt. 1978.25

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N o movement has had more than ahandful of outstanding artists whogive character to a style and direction tothe production of others. Wendell Castle(b. 1932) has assumed this role since hisgraduation with a Master of Fine Artsdegree in sculpture from the University ofKansas n 1961. He has experimentedwith furnitureas a form of sculpture, freedfrom tructural onvention.The laminatedcherrywood blocks of his 1973 two-seaterare built up to a solid structure and thencarved awav anrl polished to an effect ofvisual ;inrd-lactile flow. Finlike pedestals.uu;prt angled bucket seats that accom;, i .int twConeople in conversationalproximity,an arrangement that led JohnRussell to write in The New YorkTimes.'Togetherness takes on a new dimensionas we contemplate it Not since the 'indis-cretion sofa' was perfected in the Franceof Napoleon IIIhas there been a piece offurniture hat eggs us on so subtly to ajointand vertiginous well-being."W 6012 in. Gift of Dr and Mrs. IrwinR.Berman. 1977.225


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Ascientist. Dominick Labino (b.1910). supplied formulas that wouldallow glass to melt at lower temperaturesin small furnaces to the 1962 Toledoseminar that inaugurated studio glass.Labino was so drawn to the aestheticpotentialof the material that in 1965 hegave up his position as a research execu-tive in the glass industry to become a full-time artist. Applying his knowledge ofchemistry. he creates magical effects.such as the color changes of the dichroicveils suspended in the 1977 Emergencein Polychrome (right)One of the most influential glass artistsworkingtoday is Dale Chihuly (b. 1941).chairmanof the glass department at theRhode Island School of Design. On thesethree blown cylinders (below) Chihuly hasfused patterns. inspired by Navajoblankets. by rollingthe cylinders while

they were still hot over colored glass rods.The intimate connection of these artistswith their work. from conception throughexecution. is typical of and fundamentalto the Studio Craft Movement. Broadlybased across the United States. themovement has come of age. and theoutlines of a style can be drawn toencompass the assertive individuality ofits practitioners. Studio Craft artistssubmit themselves to age-old disciplinesin which mechanized tools can affordonly marginalassistance. The struggle togive physical realization to an ideathrough the actual working of the mate-rials impartsa residual dynamism to theobject. In this process the establishedvocabulary of shapes is eschewed infavor of developing forms along lines indi-cated by the materials and techniquesthemselves. Occasionally. the resulting

worktakes on an organic form reminis-cent of Art Nouveau. but a closer point ofreference is the more recent phenomenonof Abstract Expressionism.Metallic Serape. 1977. H. 93/8 in.Purchase. Joseph H. Hazen Foundation.Inc Gift.by exchange. 1977.132. Child'sBayetta on Peach. 1977. H. 5'/4 in. Gift ofDale Chihuly 1977. 138. Wedge Weave.1976. H. 10'2 in. Purchase. Mrand Mrs.John H. Hauberg Gift. 1977.131 (Right)Emergence in Polychrorne. H. 8 1' in. Giftof Mrand Mrs. Dominick Labino.1977.473

ntering the final decades of thetwentieth century with the decora-tive arts as vital as they were in 1900. wecan look back on a succession ofvigorous styles and inspired individualworks that can match the record of anyearlier age.

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