Off the Wall: Wonderful Wall Coverings of the Twentieth Century - Softcover

Bosker, Gideon; Whiteford, Sara Corpening

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0811835731 ISBN 13: 9780811835732

Publisher: Chronicle Books, 2003

Synopsis

Hypnotic flowering vines, black-and-white Op Art odysseys, and seas of patriotic warships are just some of the beautiful, strange, and fantastic patterns that have adorned the walls of homes the world over. In the tradition of best-seller Fabulous Fabrics of the 50s, this home decor reference book entertains while it inspires with flawless reproductions of 150 classic and unique wallpapers; many of which are drawn from the collections of the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution. Covering every decade of the century, Off the Wall celebrates robust pattern and detail in all their manifestations. Lively text and captions help to capture the designers, trends, and world events relevant to each piece, and the broader evolution of the genre, from a 1948 mural of rural America, replete with plump livestock and ripening fields, to the boldly colored abstractions produced in the 1950s by Herman Miller for MOMA. A useful resource for collectors, designers, decorators, and artists, Off the Wall is a colorful and captivating tribute to a widely appreciated medium.

About this title

About the Author

Gideon Bosker is a writer, photographer, and devoted pop culture connoisseur who has collaborated on many fine books. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Lena Lencek has collaborated with Gideon Bosker on a wide range of projects, from Fabulous Fabrics of the 50s and Patio Daddy-O (0-8118-0871-8) to Pilgrimage: The Spirit of Place (0-8118-3473-5). They live in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

The editors of Beach: Stories by the Sand and Sea turn their attention indoors in a colorful celebration of wallpaper. Once considered a kitschy relic of post-war America, wallpaper is experiencing a rebirth among contemporary designers and decorators. Len?ek and Bosker provide a brief, informative history of wall-coverings since the 15th century before diving into their retrospective of 20th-century papers largely British, American and French in origin. They explored the archives of the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt collection and the National Design Museum, as well as the vaults of many private manufacturing companies, to compile this book, which suggests that wallpaper often reflects the cultural zeitgeist of the period in which it was produced. Quaint, Sputnik-era paper featuring spaceships, flying saucers and UFOs offers some charming proof. Neo-traditionalists will thrill to the nursery panoramas of the baby-boomer era: barnyard scenes in hushed tones and playful circus friezes capture the timeless charms of childhood. The explosion of teen culture in the 1960s is chronicled in youthful paper patterns depicting athletes at play and "rec room" parties with phonographs and stacks of records. And while there are plenty of toile, floral and geometric designs represented here, the section on "High Art" is the book’s standout chapter. It features wallpaper produced in concert with artistic luminaries such as Alexander Calder and Henri Matisse (though the latter’s mustard-yellow and black-patterned sample would be considered decidedly loud by most modern tastes). The samples are presented in captivating, full-bleed reproductions throughout and are meant to serve largely as a springboard to inspiration—some readers, however, will wish this were a catalogue.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0811835731
• ISBN 13: 9780811835732
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 120