Modernist Design (A Complete Sourcebook)

The powerful aesthetic and philosophical framework that modernism ushered in during the early part of the twentieth century revolutionized the built world, transformed our living spaces and lifestyles, and fundamentally changed the way we think about design. As they experimented with new forms, materials, and techniques, modernist designers rejected historical precedents to prioritize function over history and tradition.

This ambitious survey brings together all facets and all scales of design in a comprehensive volume that presents the vast breadth of both towering and lesser-known figures, revealing unexpected connections and new insights. Through sections on furniture, lighting, glass, ceramics, textiles, industrial and product design, graphic design and posters, architecture, and interiors, and through profiles of nearly 100 influential creators, including iconic figures, such as Bruno Mathsson, Charlotte Perriand, and László Moholy-Nagy, as well as architects Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, Eliel Saarinen, and Walter Gropius, the book’s scope is unprecedented.

Complete with specially commissioned essays by established academics and subject specialists, and with nearly 650 illustrations, the majority in color, this book is the definitive reference for a generation, equally indispensable for the designer’s studio, the library shelves, or the collector’s desk.