Mid-Century Modernism and the American Body - by Kristina Wilson (Hardcover)
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<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>"The first investigation of the role of how modernist objects were marketed by affirming buyers' racial and gender identities"--<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><p><b>The first investigation of how race and gender shaped the presentation and marketing of Modernist decor in postwar America</b> <p/>In the world of interior design, mid-century Modernism has left an indelible mark still seen and felt today in countless open-concept floor plans and spare, geometric furnishings. Yet despite our continued fascination, we rarely consider how this iconic design sensibility was marketed to the diverse audiences of its era. Examining advice manuals, advertisements in <i>Life</i> and <i>Ebony</i>, furniture, art, and more, <i>Mid-Century Modernism and the American Body</i> offers a powerful new look at how codes of race, gender, and identity influenced--and were influenced by--Modern design and shaped its presentation to consumers. <p/>Taking us to the booming suburban landscape of postwar America, Kristina Wilson demonstrates that the ideals defined by popular Modernist furnishings were far from neutral or race-blind. Advertisers offered this aesthetic to White audiences as a solution for keeping dirt and outsiders at bay, an approach that reinforced middle-class White privilege. By contrast, media arenas such as <i>Ebony</i> magazine presented African American readers with an image of Modernism as a style of comfort, security, and social confidence. Wilson shows how etiquette and home decorating manuals served to control women by associating them with the domestic sphere, and she considers how furniture by George Nelson and Charles and Ray Eames, as well as smaller-scale decorative accessories, empowered some users, even while constraining others. <p/>A striking counter-narrative to conventional histories of design, <i>Mid-Century Modernism and the American Body</i> unveils fresh perspectives on one of the most distinctive movements in American visual culture.</p><p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br><i>Mid-Century Modernism and the American Body</i> by Kristina Wilson critiques the Fifties through: books/magazines, home/furniture designs, manufactured Kitsch, which consumers purchased or at least lusted after...[The book] is a worthwhile read<b>---Jean Bundy, <i>Anchorage Press</i></b><br><br>A provocative analysis of race and gender during the Modernist movement in postwar America. Written in accessible language, yet supported by notable scholarly sources, <i>Mid-Century Modernism and the American Body</i> is a compelling read for the design student, mid-century enthusiast, and those interested in historical revisionism...A fascinating and important read for a popular audience.<b>---Erika Balcombe, <i>Spacing Vancouver</i></b><br><br>[An] insightful new book . . . [<i>Mid-Century Modernism and the America Body</i>] points out how many midcentury furnishings and magazine advertisements used demeaning images of women and people of color. The book highlights undeservedly obscure Black designers as well.<b>---Eve M. Kahn, <i>New York Times</i></b><br><br>Midcentury modernism isn't merely a style characterized by clean lines, open floor plans, graphic use of color, and overt minimalism. Overtones of the movement are both radical and racial, argues author Kristina Wilson, making heretofore largely unexplored connections between race, gender, and modernist decor. Wilson [is] uniquely qualified to chart the journey.<b>---Katherine Burns Olson, <i>ArchitecturalDigest.com</i></b><br><p/><br></br><p><b> About the Author </b></p></br></br><b>Kristina Wilson</b> is professor of art history at Clark University. She is the author of <i>The Modern Eye </i>and <i>Livable Modernism</i>. Instagram @kristinawilsonartdesign
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