MODERN PLASTIC ART
C. Giedion-Welcker
Herbert Bayer (designer/typographer)

C. Giedion-Welcker, Herbert Bayer (designer/typographer): MODERN PLASTIC ART [Elements of Reality, Volume and Disintegration]. Zurich: Girsberger, 1937. First Edition. Text in English. A fine hardcover book in full, decorated cloth without the dust jacket. Vintage Wittenborn Art Books Label inside back cover. A exceptional copy of this legendary early treatise on Plastic Art. Interior unmarked and very clean. Out-of-print, and needless to say-- somewhat rare.

7.5 x 10.25 hardcover book with 166 pages and 109 b/w plates highlighting the finest modern sculpture and plastic art, circa 1937. English translation by P. Morton Shand.Exceptional study of Constructivist tendencies in sculpture. One of the best snapshots of the plastic arts before World War II. Highly recommended.

Contents:

  • introductory text
  • illustrations
  • biographical appendix
  • bibliographical sources
  • index to illustrations

Includes work by ALEXANDER ARCHIPENKO, HANS ARP, MAX BILL, UMBERTO BOCCIONI, CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI, SERGEE BRIGNONI, ALEXANDER CALDER, HONORE DAUMIER, EDGAR DEGAS, MARCEL DUCHAMP, RAYMOND DUCHAMP-VILLON, MAX ERNST, LUCIO FONTANA, NAUM GABO, ALBERTO GIACOMETTI, JULIO GONZALES, JUAN GRIS, RAOUL HAUSMANN, BARBARA HEPWORTH, CATHERINE KOBRO, HENRI LAURENS, JACQUES LIPCHITZ, ARISTIDE MAILLOL, KASIMIR MALEVICH, HENRI MATISEE, FAUSTO MELOTTI, JOAN MIRO, AMEDEO MODIGLIANI, LASZLO MOHOLY-NAGY, HENRY MOORE, ANTON PESVNER, PABLO PICASSO, AUGUSTE RODIN, ALEXANDER RODCHENKO, OSCAR SCHLEMMER, KURT SCHWITTERS VLADIMIR TATLIN, and GEORGES VANONGERLOO.

Of all the artists to pass through the Bauhaus, none lived the Bauhaus ideal of total integration of the arts into life like Herbert Bayer (1900 - 1985). He was a graphic designer, typographer, photographer, painter, environmental designer, sculptor and exhibition designer. He entered the Bauhaus in 1921 and was greatly influenced by Kandinsky, Moholy-Nagy and El Lissitzky. He left in 1923, but returned in 1925 to become a master in the school. During his tenure as a Bauhaus master he produced many designs that became standards of a Bauhaus "style." Bayer was instrumental in moving the Bauhaus to purely sans serif usage in all its work. In 1928 he left the Bauhaus to work in Berlin. He primarily worked as a designer and art director for the Dorland Agency, an international firm. During his years at Dorland a Bayer style was established. Bayer emigrated to the United States in 1938 and set up practice in New York. His US design included work for NW Ayers, consultant art director for J. Walter Thompson and design work for GE.

out of stock