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.
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Credit Line:Purchase, Theodore R. Gamble Jr. Gift, in honor of his mother, Mrs. Theodore Robert Gamble, 1982
Object 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, Mich. 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.
Linda Hales. "From Mainstream to Streamlined America." Washington Post (May 20, 2000), p. C2, ill.
Claes Oldenburg (American (born Sweden), Stockholm 1929–2022 New York)
1962
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