Aluminum by Design

Auteur(s) : Nichols, Sarah

• Notice du document

  Titre / Title

  Aluminum by Design

  Auteur(s) / Author(s)

  Nichols Sarah, auteur principal

  Type de document

  Catalogue

  Catégorie d'ouvrage

  ALUMINIUM

  Publication

  New York et Pittsburg (PA, Etats-Unis): Harry N. Abrams et Carnegie Museum of Art, 2000

  Description technique / Physical description

  296 p. : ill. en coul., couv. ill. en coul.

• Langue / Language

  Américain

• Description

  • Résumé / Abstract

    [catalogue de l'exposition du Carnegie Museum of Art (octobre 2000 - février 2001)].
    
    From its first appearance in the 19th century, when its rarity made it as prized as gold, aluminum has inspired creativity and sparked innovation in the design of furniture, jewelry, fashion, and consumer and industrial products. This groundbreaking publication, which accompanies the first major travelling museum exhibition on aluminum, demonstrates how its essential qualities of brilliance, strength, light, weight, ductility, corrosion resistance, and ease of recycling have inspired some of the world's greatest artists, designers, and engineers. [i]Aluminum by Design[/i] features work by such visionaries as René Lalique, Eileen Gray, Gerrit Rietveld, Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles and Ray Eames, Buckminster Fuller, Gio Ponti, Donald Judd, and Philippe Starck. The illustrations range from precious objets d'art and an entire Rolls Royce to landmark works of modern and contemporary high-style furniture, as well as advertising photographs by such noted photographers as Margaret Bourke-White. Of special interest are an 1858 table centerpiece made in Paris by Charles Christofle and presented to Napoleon III, the great promoter of aluminum in France; Otto Wagner's 1906 Postal Savings Bank in Vienna, one of the first buildings to use aluminum extensively; two chais by Marcel Breuer, who won first prize in a 1933 international competition for the best aluminum seating design; the now-classic Airstream trailer; and such everyday objects as Russel Wright's masterpieces of spun aluminum or a set of aluminum playing cards made for the Buffalo Expostion of 1901. [i]Aluminum by Design[/i] examines the creative use of aluminum from a variety of perspectives. Essays chronicle the technological development of aluminum and explore its use in architecture and industrial design, products for mass consumption, and experimental avant-garde works. Thanks to this interdisciplinary approach, [i]Aluminum by Design[/i] fosters a new appreciation for a metal most of us take for granted. [i]Aluminum by Design[/i] is organized by Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, a city inextricably linked to the exciting story of aluminu,. It is therefore fitting that the museum create an exhibiton examing aluminum's seminal role in our culture. Of the two ubiquitous materials of the 20th century ?aluminum and plastic? the latter has been widely considered art and cultural studies and has been the subject of exhibitions worldwide. This book offers alumium scholarly attention and brings its beauty and versatility to a wider audience. [i][b]Contributors[/b] [b]Sarah Nichols[/b], chief curator and curator of decorative arts at Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, is the principle organizer of [/i]Aluminum by Design[i]. She has published articles on a wide range of decorative arts topics from eighteen-century furniture to contemporary ceramics and glass. [b]Paola Antonelli[/b], curator of the department of architecture and design at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, has been a contributing editor for [/i]Domus[i] and design editor at [/i]Abitare[i]. She has also contributed articles on design and architecture to international journals and has been a commentator and writer for BBC television. [b]Dennis Doordan[/b] is associate professor in the School of Architecture at Notre Dame University. In 1997 he was Nierenberg Distinguished Visitor Professor of Design at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh. He is an editor of [/i]Design Issues[i] and also edited [/i]Design History: An Anthology[i] (1995), to which he contributed an essay of aluminum. [b]Robert Friedel[/b], professor of history at the University of Maryland at College Park, specializes in the history of technology and science, especially new materials of the nineteenth century. He has published several books in technological creativity, including [/i]Zipper: An Exploration in Novelty[i] (1994); [/i]A Material World[i] (1988); [/i]Edison's Electric Light: Biography of an Invention[i] (1986); and [/i]Pioneer Plastic: The Making and Selling of Celluloid[i] (1983). [b]Penny Sparke[/b] is dean of the Design Faculty at Kingston University, London. She has published extensively on the history of modern design and is the author of [/i]As Long as It?s Pink: The Sexual Politics of taste[i] (1995) and [/i]A Century of Design: Design of Pioneers of the Twentieth Century[i] (1998). [b]Craig Vogel[/b] is associate professor in the School of Design and associate dean, College of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh. He has published and lectured widely on art, architecture, and technology and social change.[/i]