By the 1920s, the skyscraper was a symbol of American modernity. Here, Frankl uses maple wood and Bakelite to suggest the jagged, upward-reaching outline of a New York skyscraper. By breaking with the constraints of the past, this towering architectural form expressed the excitement and optimism of a new era.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
Open Access
As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.
API
Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.
Credit Line:Purchase, Theodore R. Gamble Jr. Gift, in honor of his mother, Mrs. Theodore Robert Gamble, 1982
Accession Number:1982.30ab
the designer, New York (sold to private collection); private collection (their estate; sold to Kent); [Berenice Kent, Shaker Heights, Oh., by 1981–82; sold to MMA]
New York. Whitney Museum of American Art. "High Styles: Twentieth-Century American Design," September 19, 1985–February 16, 1986, unnumbered cat. (fig. 2.18; as "Skyscraper Bookcase," 1925–30).
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Design 1925–1945: Selections from the Collection," December 18, 1989–June 1, 1991, no catalogue.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Modern Furniture in the Collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art," May 3–October 9, 1994, no catalogue.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "American Modern, 1925–1940: Design for a New Age," May 16, 2000–January 7, extended to February 4, 2001, unnumbered cat. (p. 53; as "'Skyscraper' Bookcase").
Newport Beach, Calif. Orange County Museum of Art. "American Modern, 1925–1940: Design for a New Age," May 25–August 19, 2001, unnumbered cat.
Flint. Flint Institute of Arts. "American Modern, 1925–1940: Design for a New Age," September 14–December 16, 2001, unnumbered cat.
Philadelphia. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. "American Modern, 1925–1940: Design for a New Age," January 11–April 7, 2002, unnumbered cat.
Charlotte. Mint Museum of Craft and Design. "American Modern, 1925–1940: Design for a New Age," May 3–July 28, 2002, unnumbered cat.
Tulsa. Philbrook Museum of Art. "American Modern, 1925–1940: Design for a New Age," August 23–November 17, 2002, unnumbered cat.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Modern Design," March 30–December 3, 2006, no catalogue.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Masterpieces of Modern Design: Selections from the Collection," May 30–October 5, 2008, no catalogue.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Highlights from the Modern Design Collection: 1900 to the Present," June 23, 2009–May 1, 2011, no catalogue.
Utica. Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. "Roaring into the Future: New York 1925–35," June 18–October 9, 2017, no catalogue.
David Gebhard inHigh Styles: Twentieth-Century American Design. Exh. cat., Whitney Museum of American Art. New York, 1985, pp. 63, 210, 213, fig. 2.18 (color).
R. Craig Miller. Modern Design in The Metropolitan Museum of Art 1890–1990. New York, 1990, p. 178, ill., Calls it "Bookcase".
J. Stewart Johnson. American Modern, 1925–1940: Design for a New Age. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2000, pp. 27–28, 46, 170, ill. p. 53 (color).
Grace Glueck. "Design Review: When Americans Awoke to Modern Styles." New York Times (May 19, 2000), p. E32, ill.
Claes Oldenburg (American (born Sweden), Stockholm 1929–2022 New York)
1962
Resources for Research
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
The Met's engagement with art from 1890 to today includes the acquisition and exhibition of works in a range of media, spanning movements in modernism to contemporary practices from across the globe.
