ABC OF MODERN FURNITURE
George Nelson
George Nelson: ABC OF MODERN FURNITURE. Zeeland, Michigan: The Herman Miller Furniture Company, 1951. First edition. A very good to near-fine softcover booklet in stiff, printed wrappers: wrappers worn along spine edge. Interior unmarked and very clean. Out-of-print and very uncommon.8 x9 saddle-stitched softcover booklet with 40 pages profusely illustrated in two colors (Black and Herman Miller Red) showcasing the furniture and fabric designs of Charles Eames, George Nelson and Alexander Girard. Stellar graphic design by George Tscherney, the graphic ace of George Nelson and Associates.
This book was constructed by George Nelson as a primer for the modernist ideology emanating from Zeeland, Michigan after World War II. A manifesto disguised as a childrens book, ABC OF MODERN FURNITURE was designed to sell the concept of modern furniture to mainstream America. In terms of booklet size and content, ABC OF MODERN FURNITURE could easily be viewed as Nelson's contribution to the dialogue first articulated by Edward J. Wormely two yeasrs earlier in WHAT IS MODERN? published by the Dunbar Furniture Corporation of Berne, Indiana.
ABC OF MODERN FURNITURE is extremely well-designed and thoughtfully assembled by George Tscherney. He combined drop-dead gorgeous photography with clip art from the Bettman Archives to hammer home the idea that change is not only inevitable, but should be painless and maybe even fun.
The Herman Miller furniture lines from 1948 has been called the most influential groups of furniture ever manufactured. An exceptionally rare piece of ephemera that captures the zeitgeist of Herman Miller Furniture Company at the height of its influence. Highly recommended.
out of stock