Machine Age in America 1918-1941

"A stunning array of images of art, architecture, industrial design and household objects from the age in which the machine was seen as a potent and fresh inspiration." --New York Times Book Review

"An exemplary book. . . . The illustrations alone would make this book most important for anyone interested in 20th-century America. . . . The Machine Age becomes, simply, indispensable. --Choice

"An excellent book." --Time

Originally published to accompany a landmark 1986 exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, this comprehensive look at American art, architecture, photography, film, and industrial and graphic design in the years between the two world wars. Art Deco, Modern, Streamlined Modern, International Style, Constructivism, and other styles of the Machine Age are examined in detailed text and more than 400 arresting images.

The Brooklyn Museum of Art presents a reprint of the catalogue to its benchmark 1986 exhibit The Machine Age in America: 1918-1941 by scholars Richard Guy Wilson, Dianne H. Pilgrim and Dickran Tashjian. Following on the culture-crit assertion that "the machine in all its many manifestations was the defining force in America during the years between the two great wars," the authors trace the era's aesthetic qualities in Buicks, Frank Lloyd Wright houses, Oskar J. Hansen's Ayn Randian sculpture Winged Figures of the Republic on the Hoover Dam, Berenice Abbott's photographs of steamships, Electrolux vacuum cleaners, Russell Wright's seminal flatware and furniture designs, Joseph Stella's vivid abstractions of the Brooklyn Bridge, and a host of other art works and utilitarian objects. Pop and material culture lovers will swoon over the 410 illustrations (55 in full color) and the erudite essays.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

This sumptuous large-format book is published in conjunction with a current exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum. Far more than just a catalog, the book studies in depth the reciprocal influences of American technology and art. In this context, several chapters discuss subjects such as industrial machines, landscapes, transportation, and architecture. Attention is given to designers such as Loewy and Bel Geddes who considered industrial design as a new art form. The machine age was also an inspiration for both abstract and realistic artists. Liberally illustrated, with photographs and reproductions on almost every page. Recommended for all art and design collections. Frank Davidoff, formerly with CBS Broadcast Group, New York
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.