20th Century's "Bad Boy of Glass"

Erik Höglund (1932-98),started his career at the age of 21 straight out of school, working for Boda.  He did not follow the tradition path of glass making, in fact he managed to do most of the things that traditional glass makers tried to avoid.  He liked bubbles in glass.  He experimented with plunging hot glass in to water. He used potato peels in the fire and saw dust on his molten glass in order to get the desired effect.  He used bright colors, stamps, seals, and bubbles as his signature for his art.  He was a folk artist in glass. He exhibited both in Sweden and abroad.  He experimented continually with his glass work.

Chandelier by Erik Höglund

With the renewed interest in the early modernist movement, his work may even more popular than it was when he was producing these pieces.  This is due in part to his use of color and forms.  He masterfully meld together the vibrant glass jewels that he created with imaginative metal cases and structures. 

Danish Modern Klint and Wanscher

Kaare Klint born 1888-1954 is considered to be the father of Danish Modern furniture Design.  He introduced designs that utilized clean lines, superb craftsmanship and the best materials available.  He founded the Furniture School at the Royal Academy in 1924 and was a professor at the Danish School of Art and Design.  He was a great influence on the younger Danish designers of the period.

Iconic tall chest designed by Kaare Klint in the 1940's, Gallipoli

Classic Ole Wanscher Desk, Wythe

Ole Wanscher 1903-1985 was one of these young designers who studied with Klint.  He worked with Klint after he completed of his studies for several years, before setting up an office of his own specializing in furniture design.  He worked with the master joiner A. J. Iversen from 1930through the 1940's.  The designs that they produced together are now viewed as classic modern pieces.  He left his private firm and became associated with P. Jeppesens Møbelfabrik.  His designs were called orderly, delicate,and elegant. His work is highly valued among collectors. 

Pair of OLe Wanscher Arm Chairs, Revive, Asheland

We can thank these giants of modern design for all their influence of the designers who followed.

Arm Chair, Ole Wanscher, Wythe

Designer of the Twentieth Century, Alexander Girard

Folk art Church from the Girard foundation, Santa Fe New Mexico

We like to high light the lives of famous designers of the twentieth century.  Alexander Girard, 1907 – 1993 is a American born, multicultural architect trained twentieth century designer of note.  His mother, an American married his father, a Frenchman, after his birth in New York City, they moved to Florence, Italy where he was educated.  He was trained as an Architect, but his design talents varied over a wide arrange of objects and materials.  He honed his skills both in Italy, where he was exposed to some of the greatest architect designers of the period and in New York.

Alexander Girard 1907-1993

He is particularly know for his Textile design work on the cutting edge of design though his work for Herman Miller Design 1952-1975.  He worked creating fabrics for furniture designer by George Nelson, and Charles and Ray Eames.  Together they formed a design team that has influenced the fundamentals of design not only in the United States but the entire rest of the world. His  designs were based on geometrical shapes and forms related to architectural forms.

Pair of Chairs by Girard Herman Miller

He designed for the Braniff Airlines in the 1960's.  This was an effort on the part of Braniff to end the rein of the plain plane.  He worked on everything from the fabrics, the color of the plane itself, the ticket counters even the sugar paper packets.  Braniff had also hired Emilio Pucci to design the flight attendants uniforms.  Girard's colors ranged from both light and dark shades of blue to turquoise, oranges, beige, and tonal yellow.  These colors were used on the planes themselves to make them identifiable with the Braniff brand.  He designed a line of furniture for their ticket offices and the customer lounges, this was produced by Herman Miller and was available to the public in 1967 for one year only.

Sofa designed for Braniff Airlines

He designed the interiors of several major restaurants all over the world.  He did table settings for George Jensen, 1956, that included  flat ware, china and mats.  Girard designed a Mural for the John Deere company.  It consisted of found three dimensional objects.  In 1956, along with Charles Eames, he produced the documentary film, " The Day of The Dead."  Girard brought Italian style to American design.  He was a Renaissance man.

Designs by Alexande Girard

Girard and his wife were collectors of folk art.  They accumulated a large collection from all over the world.  They founded The Girard Foundation, 1962, to house their huge collection of Folk Art.

Fabric Design by Girard