AFA Summer 2021

Summer 34 www.afamag.com | w ww.incollect.com HAPPENINGS American Art Deco Designing for the People, 1918–1939 Through September 5, 2021 Joslyn Art Museum, 2200 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE 68102 For information visit joslyn.org or call 402.342.3300 Art Deco, short for arts décoratifs, took its name from the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, held in Paris in 1925. It celebrated a new style characterized by geometric ornament, symmetry, stylization, and angularity, which developed globally with different variants. In the United States, it combined modern style with an embrace of rich materials and new technologies, influencing the design of everything from skyscrapers and automobiles to clothing and radios. American Art Deco offers an in-depth examination of the cultural context of this international style as it flourished in the United States between the World Wars, reflecting both the glamour and optimism of the 1920s and the devastation and escapism of the 1930s. Primarily from Midwest collections, the 140-plus objects in this exhibition exemplify the Art Deco style and underscore significant themes of the era, including the migration of designs and designers from Europe to the United States; industrial and technological advancement in the period following World War I; the changing profile of the modern woman; the rise of the middle class and consumer culture; and inequities in gender, race, and wealth. Highlights include glass by René Lalique and the Indiana Glass Company; sculpture by Paul Manship; ceramics by Frank L. Ferrell for Roseville Pottery Company; paintings by Aaron Douglas, Walter Dove, N.C. Wyeth, and Thomas Hart Benton; and photographs by Dorothea Lange and Carl Van Vechten. An array of everyday objects—from hats, compacts, and dresses to barware, clocks, and chairs—punctuates the exhibition. After Joslyn, the exhibition will travel to Frist Art Museum (Nashville, TN; October 8, 2021–January 2, 2022), Wichita Art Museum (Wichita, KS; February 12–May 30, 2022), and The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas City, MO; July 9, 2022– January 8, 2023). clockwise from far left Georgia O’Keeffe, designer (American, 1887–1986), Max Erlacher, engraver (American, born Austria, 1933), Steuben Glass Incorporated, manufacturer (Corning, New York, 1903–2011), Jimson Weed Plate, 1939–40. Engraved glass, 2 x 14¼ in. Wichita Art Museum; Museum purchase, F. Price Cossman Memorial Trust (2007.23). Raymond Loewy, designer (American, born France, 1893–1986), Hupp Motor Company, manufacturer (Detroit, Michigan, 1908–1941), Hupmobile Hood Ornament, 1936–38. Chromium-plated metal, 6⅜ x 6⅛ x 6¼ in. Marshall V. Miller Collection. Paul Manship (American, 1885–1966), Danaë, 1920. Bronze, 11¾ × 17¼ × 7⅛ in. Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska; Gift of Mrs. Arthur O’Brien (1947.295).