WHAT IS MODERN?
Edward J. Wormley
Dunbar Furniture Corporation
[Dunbar Furniture Corporation] Edward J. Wormley: WHAT IS MODERN? Berne, Indiana: Dunbar Furniture Corporation of Indiana, 1951. Original edition. A near-fine softcover booklet in printed self-wrappers: small tape stains on printed rear panel. Interior unmarked and very clean. Out-of-print and very uncommon.8 x9 saddle-stitched softcover booklet with 24 pages profusely illustrated in b/w and color showcasing the modern furniture designs for Dunbar by Edward J. Wormley, including sofas, chairs, tables, cabinets, chests, benches, and more, all "designed for today's living." All pieces are identified by name, dimensions and finishes. I suspect this information could be useful to some people out there.
WHAT IS MODERN? was constructed by Wormley as a primer for the modernist ideology emerging after World War II, and was designed to sell the concept of modern furniture to mainstream America. WHAT IS MODERN? also includes examples of fabrics, wallpapers, dinnerware and lamps by other manufacturers that compliment Wormleyıs furniture.
An exceptionally rare piece of ephemera that captures the zeitgeist of postwar American modernism. Highly recommended.
WHAT IS MODERN? includes design examples by Marcel Breuer, Alvar Aalto, Mies van der Rohe, Bruno Mathsson, Charles Eames, Dan Cooper, Russel Wright, Eva Ziesel, John Hedu, T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Walter van Nessen and others.
Edward Wormley (1907-1995) was an American designer of modern furniture known for its restrained and somehwat conservative character. Wormley studied at the Art Institute of Chicago in the 1920s before specializing in furniture design in the 1930s, when he began a long-lasting relationship with the Dunbar furniture company of Berne, Indiana. After World War II, Wormley set up a private practice in interior and furniture design with Dunbar as his primary client. He used wood and upholstery in a tailored way that seemed comfortable to an audience not totally ready for the austerity of International Style design. Wormley often called his designs "transitional", and he did no hesitate to use forms as those of the ancient Greek klismos chair. His Dunbar furniture was included in a number of "Good Design" exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art and the Merchandise Mart in Chicago.
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