American Streamlined Design at The Wolfsonian FIU, Miami

American Streamlined Design – The World of Tomorrow at The Wolfsonian FIU is an exhibition that focuses on a design era that developed in the 1930s and ’40s, characterized by curving forms, and smooth, clean silhouettes. The style, which suggested speed and glamour invaded American design in the post-Depression years. It was widely applied in new forms of architecture, interior decoration and everyday household goods for the home and office.

American Streamlined Design offers a fresh appraisal of the aesthetic of streamlined design. On display are works by its best-known exponents – among them Norman Bel Geddes, Henry Dreyfuss, Raymond Loewy and Walter Dorwin Teague – as well as contributions of other lesser-known designers such as Lurelle Guild, Clifford Brooks Stevens, Harold Van Doren and newly discovered practitioners like John R. Morgan, William B. Petzold and Louis Vavrik.

The exhibition at The Wolfsonian Florida International University draws primarily on the collection of Eric Brill, which was recently donated to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. American Streamlined Design: The World of Tomorrow was organized by The Liliane and David M. Stewart Program for Modern Design, Montreal and on view at The Wolfsonian-Florida International through May 17, 2009.

The Wolfsonian – Florida International University Art Basel VIP Reception, December 5, 2008. Miami Beach, Florida.

PS: One of the upcoming shows at The Wolfsonian is The American Automobile Scene, an exploration of automobile design in America from the 1920s through the 1940s (April-September 2009).

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