Household Names: The Designer in American Life

Friday, March 7, 2003—Sunday, February 15, 2004
Wells Fargo Gallery 350
Free Exhibition

How have Americans become aware of who designs their everyday objects? With the advent of industrial production in the mid-19th century, household goods flooded European and American homes, but they were for largely unattractive, as manufacturers gave little regard to their appearance. The 1930s introduced Americans to industrial designers such as Raymond Loewy, Henry Dreyfuss, and Walter Dorwin Teague, who became well known for their streamlined approach to everything from automobiles to thermostats, and for their books on the subject of design. By the 1940s, as consumers began to embrace modern design, manufacturers made a point of marketing goods under the "brand names"of their designers. Russel and Mary Wright and Charles and Ray Eames positioned themselves as practitioners of a new, casual lifestyle, which their modern products perfectly suited. Today, with the faces and signatures of Philippe Starck and Michael Graves prominently featured on packaging, designers are often better known than their merchandise. Through objects from the Institute's collection and from private collections, "Household Names" examines the designer's rise to recognition in modern America.

Image: Russel Wright (American, 1904-1976), Cocktail set, c. 1935, aluminum and cork, from Informal Serving Accessories Line, Manufactured by Russel Wright, Inc., New York, New York, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, The Modernism Collection, gift of Norwest Bank Minnesota.

Organized by The Minneapolis Institute of Arts.