[1st ed] Behind the Picture Window

Bernard Rudofsky

Published by Oxford University Press, 1955

About this Item

First edition of Bernard Rudofsky s idiosyncratic and iconoclastic discussion of modern living conditions in postwar America, published by Oxford University Press in 1955. 201 pages, 8vo, hardcover with pictorial dust jacket. Several black-and-white illustrations. Rudofsky (1905-1988), an Austrian/American architect, curator, critic, industrial designer, exhibition designer, fashion designer, and author is best-known for his controversial exhibitions and accompanying catalogs, including Are Clothes Modern? (MoMA, 1944), Architecture Without Architects (MoMA, 1964), and Now I Lay Me Down to Eat (Cooper-Hewitt, 1980). He is also famous for his mid-century Bernardo sandal designs, which are popular again today. Behind the Picture Window stands as an antidote to anodyne shelter magazine pronouncements and to many of the prescriptions of high modernism--especially as regards clutter. As he puts it, A house which does not burst its bounds with overcrowding does not seem to hold the promise of a decent life. Gentle bumping to extremities. Light bumping, chipping and creasing to dj. Overall, a very handsome and collectible copy of an important work of cultural criticism.

Seller Inventory # ABE-1670439621118

Bibliographic Details

• Title: [1st ed] Behind the Picture Window
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication Date: 1955
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Design
  • Architecture
  • Culture