A history of how Danish design rose to prominence in the postwar United States, becoming shorthand for stylish modern comfort. Today, Danish Modern design is synonymous with clean, midcentury cool. During the 1950s and ‘60s, it flourished as the furniture choice for Americans who hoped to signal they were current and chic. But how did this happen? How did Danish Modern become the design movement of the times? In The Chieftain and the Chair, Maggie Taft tells the tale of our love affair with Danish Modern design. Structured as a biography of two iconic chairs—Finn Juhl’s Chieftain Chair and Hans Wegner’s Round Chair, both designed and first fabricated in 1949—this book follows the chairs from conception and fabrication through marketing, distribution, and use. Drawing on research in public and private archives, Taft considers how political, economic, and cultural forces in interwar Denmark laid the foundations for the postwar furniture industry, and she tracks the deliberate maneuvering on the part of Danish creatives and manufacturers to cater to an American market. Taft also reveals how American tastemakers and industrialists were eager to harness Danish design to serve American interests and how furniture manufacturers around the world were quick to capitalize on the fad by flooding the market with copies. Sleek and minimalist, Danish Modern has experienced a resurgence of popularity in the last few decades and remains a sought-after design. This accessible and engaging history offers a unique look at its enduring rise among tastemakers.  

For decades now, the story of art in America has been dominated by New York. It gets the majority of attention, the stories of its schools and movements and masterpieces the stuff of pop culture legend. Chicago, on the other hand . . . well, people here just get on with the work of making art. Now that art is getting its due. Art in Chicago is a magisterial account of the long history of Chicago art, from the rupture of the Great Fire in 1871 to the present, Manierre Dawson, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, and Ivan Albright to Chris Ware, Anne Wilson, and Theaster Gates. The first single-volume history of art and artists in Chicago, the book-in recognition of the complexity of the story it tells-doesn't follow a single continuous trajectory. Rather, it presents an overlapping sequence of interrelated narratives that together tell a full and nuanced, yet wholly accessible history of visual art in the city. From the temptingly blank canvas left by the Fire, we loop back to the 1830s and on up through the 1860s, tracing the beginnings of the city's institutional and professional art world and community. From there, we travel in chronological order through the decades to the present. Familiar developments-such as the founding of the Art Institute, the Armory Show, and the arrival of the Bauhaus-are given a fresh look, while less well-known aspects of the story, like the contributions of African American artists dating back to the 1860s or the long history of activist art, finally get suitable rcognition. The six chapters, each written by an expert in the period, brilliantly mix narrative and image, weaving in oral histories from artists and critics reflecting on their work in the city, and setting new movements and key works in historical context. The final chapter, comprised of interviews and conversations with contemporary artists, brings the story up to the present, offering a look at the vibrant art being created in the city now and addressing ongoing debates about what it means to identify as-or resist identifying as-a Chicago artist today. The result is an unprecedentedly inclusive and rich tapestry, one that reveals Chicago art in all its variety and vigor-and one that will surprise and enlighten even the most dedicated fan of the city's artistic heritage. Part of the Terra Foundation for American Art's year-long Art Design Chicago initiative, which will bring major arts events to venues throughout Chicago in 2018, Art in Chicago is a landmark publication, a book that will be the standard account of Chicago art for decades to come. No art fan-regardless of their city-will want to miss it.

A beautifully illustrated look at how Georg Jensen pushed the boundaries of modern domestic design In 1904 Danish silversmith Georg Jensen (1866-1935) founded one of the world's most celebrated design companies. Famous for its signature silver tableware that combines gleaming sculptural forms with lush ornament, Jensen's eponymous firm has stood at the forefront of domestic design for over a century by combining an innovative and experimental spirit with a commitment to traditional craftsmanship. Tracing the evolution of Georg Jensen silver from its place in the company's initial emergence through its continuing role as a touchstone for the global identity of Danish design, this book examines the creative processes and business practices behind Jensen's stunning bowls, pitchers, coffee services, and other domestic objects. Lavishly illustrated with works ranging in style from organic to industrial, Georg Jensen is full of new insights gleaned from the company's own archives and situates Jensen's work in the broader context of 20th-century design. This unprecedented study includes scholarly essays by Alison Fisher, Maggie Taft, and Thomas C. Thulstrup that delve into the significant and continuing impact of Georg Jensen silver on modern domestic taste. Distributed for the Art Institute of Chicago Exhibition Schedule: The Art Institute of Chicago (06/22/18-09/09/18)