“Modern design was born from the marriage of art and industry.” – “The Architect and the Painter,” Jason Cohn and Bill Jersey
I was worried the exhibit would be over by the time I finally scooted over to Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s “Living in a Modern Way,” open until June 3, 2012, part of Pacific Standard Time, an ongoing celebration of the works of Los Angeles artists between roughly 1945 and 1980, when the utopian notion of better living through design was taken very seriously.
I could look at chairs all day. This aluminum chair by R. M. Schindler, made for Sardi’s Restaurant, Hollywood, 1932-33, could easily inspire an adaptation for weatherproof garden seating.
Pottery from Pacific Clay Products and Catalina Pottery
Planted cocktail table by Milo Baughman, 1950.
Clothes, textiles.
Image of textile by Paul Laszlo from Dwell, which also includes photos of LACMA’s re-creation of Charles and Ray Eames’ Case Study House #8 living room.
Photos were not allowed of this portion of the exhibit.
The Eames’ DCW (Dining Chair Wood).
Like Steve Jobs, Charles Eames often appropriated other designers’ ideas and called them his own. But let’s not quibble — there’s genius in knowing what to take.
For more on the Eames, check out the documentary “The Architect and the Painter.”
They showed us how life could be. Such a hopeful time, unlike today.
James, such moments cycle through history, and I know one will come around again. I do think this is another mini Arts & Crafts moment, like the one born after the Industrial Revolution — just made much more diffuse by the Internet.
Oh another interesting title for my Netflix queue! I wish we lived closer so I could take part in some of the Pacific Standard Time exhibits.
Loree, I think you’ll like this docu. It really gives Ray Eames her due.
Just saw the exhibit this past weekend while we were down from Portland. Beautiful and quite inspirational. From viewing the photos and ceramics, I discovered I have 2 original LaGardo Tackett planters! I knew I liked them, but I never realized they were design icons of California Modernism. What a great confluence of my interest in mid-century design and my love of plants!
Jane in LA! And what a cool discovery to make. I think Ray Eames must have had a love plants too — there were lots of plants in the recreation of the Eames’ living room.