Description: Serious Play: Design in Midcentury America By Monica Obinski, Published by Yale, 2018, hardcover, dustcover, 244 pages, 9.75 x 11 inches. Lavishly illustrated. A lively exploration of eclecticism, playfulness, and whimsy in American postwar design, including architecture, graphic design, and product design 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. 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. 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. Partial contents:Playful DomesticityCharles and Ray Eames Serious Play, Serious PleasureWhat is a Clock, Anyway?Eva Zeisel: The 'Merry-Souled' Designer's Playful Search for BeautyToys as Furniture/Furniture as ToysAlexander Girard and Play in the Corporate EnvironmentThe Play Principle Paul Rand and Graphic DesignSerious Business. The Wonderful, Imaginative Spirit of Alcoa's Forecast Program Condition: New Shipping: Buyer pays $4.75 media mail or $14.99 priority in the U.S.
Price: 20 USD
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
End Time: 2024-12-25T21:51:30.000Z
Shipping Cost: 4.75 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Signed: No
Ex Libris: No
Narrative Type: Nonfiction
Original Language: English
Inscribed: No
Intended Audience: Adults
Vintage: No
Personalize: No
Type: Illustrated Book
Literary Movement: Modernism
Era: 1960s
Personalized: No
Features: Dust Jacket, Illustrated
Country/Region of Manufacture: America
Book Title: Serious Play : Design in Midcentury America
Item Length: 11.3in.
Item Height: 1in.
Item Width: 9.8in.
Author: Darrin Alfred, Monica Obniski
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Topic: Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions / Group Shows, History & Criticism, Interior Design / General, American / General
Publisher: Yale University
Publication Year: 2018
Genre: Design, Art, Architecture
Item Weight: 56.8 Oz
Number of Pages: 256 Pages
