A century of boldness, utopia, and aesthetic revolutions. From the Bauhaus to Italian avant-gardes, from Art Deco to industrial design, the 20th century redefined our relationship to form, function, and everyday life.
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, 1932. While the Great Depression paralyzes America and Streamline Moderne begins transforming the American industrial landscape, Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen founds an institution that will revolutionize American design: the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Far from the New York or California metropolises, in the affluent suburbs of Detroit, this school invents a unique…
(POST IN PROGRESS) Amsterdam, 1917. While Art Deco triumphed in Paris with its geometric ornaments and refined luxury, a group of Dutch artists and architects chose a radically opposite path. In a Europe torn apart by World War I, they founded a magazine that would give its name to one of the most radical movements…
New York, 1933. The “Century of Progress” World’s Fair in Chicago celebrated American technological progress at the heart of the Great Depression. While Europe sank into political tensions and Russian Constructivism faded under Stalin, America invented a radically new visual language: Streamline Moderne. This style, which would transform everything – from toasters to locomotives, from…
Le Corbusier Paris, 1925. Dans son atelier de la rue de Sèvres, Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, dit Le Corbusier, dessine l’avenir de l’architecture moderne. Révolutionnaire suisse naturalisé français, cet homme au nœud papillon noir ne se contente pas de concevoir des bâtiments : il réinvente l’art de vivre au XXe siècle. Architecte, urbaniste, peintre et théoricien, Le…
Modern design, minimalist design, or organic design: these decorative vocabulary terms may seem vague, but they reveal distinct philosophies. Organic design, an artistic movement born in the 1950s, revolutionizes our relationship with space by placing harmony between humans and nature at the heart of its creative approach. What is Organic Design? Complete Definition Organic design…
1900 – “The fire ignites in the spirit” – Le Corbusier A creative fire indeed—one that swept across Europe, taking root in England as Modern Style, in France as Art Nouveau, in Germany as Jugendstil, and in Austria as Secessionsstil. While critics derided it as “noodle style,” “metro style,” or even “tapeworm style,” its legacy…
