Live MAGAZINE VOL 8, Issue #210 June 2nd THRU June 16th, 2015
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
MODERNISM<br />
10<br />
WEEK ANNOUNCES RETAIL LOCATIONS FOR “THE DESERT MODERNISTS – THE ARCHITECTS<br />
MODERNISM WEEK ANNOUNCES RETAIL LOCATIONS FOR “THE DESERT MODERNISTS – THE ARCHITECTS<br />
WHO ENVISIONED MIDCENTURY MODERN PALM SPRINGS”<br />
Popular New Book Features Twelve Notable Desert Modern Architects, Stunning<br />
Photography<br />
PALM SPRINGS, CA – May 27, <strong>2015</strong>: Modernism Week announces that a new<br />
book created in celebration of its tenth anniversary, “The Desert Modernists –<br />
The Architects Who Envisioned Midcentury Modern Palm Springs,” is available<br />
for purchase online and at select retail locations.<br />
“The Desert Modernists” highlights the work of 12 notable Desert Modern<br />
architects and features stunning photography of their most influential projects.<br />
The definitive book about the masterminds who shaped Palm Springs’ iconic<br />
midcentury modern design is the result of a unique collaboration between 13<br />
esteemed authors, 17 architectural photographers, architecture and design<br />
community supporters, and Palm Springs Life magazine.<br />
Included in the 143-page volume are chapters about each of the dozen architects<br />
written by published authorities on each of the subjects. The examination of each<br />
designer informs the overall picture of mid-twentieth century development in<br />
Palm Springs. Included in the book is internationally acclaimed architect Richard<br />
Neutra and the famed “Desert House” designed for Pittsburgh department<br />
store magnate Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. in 1946 as an ethereal construction of glass,<br />
steel, and stone. Also included is the highly experimental and prolific designer<br />
and architect Albert Frey, who was an apprentice of the Swiss architect and<br />
Modernism pioneer Le Corbusier. Frey’s futuristic, metal-clad Aluminaire House<br />
(designed with A. Lawrence Kocher) was the toast of a 1931 New York exposition,<br />
and remains today as one of the earliest and best examples of pre-fabricated<br />
housing. Second generation Palm Springs architect E. Stewart Williams, who<br />
designed Frank Sinatra’s Twin Palms estate in 1947 is also studied; as well as the<br />
architectural brilliance behind Palm Springs International Airport’s main terminal<br />
building, Donald Wexler, and Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired architect Hugh Kaptur,<br />
both of whom continue to reside in Palm Springs. The seven additional architects<br />
featured are Robson C. Chambers, John Porter Clark, William F. Cody, A. Quincy<br />
Jones, William “Bill” Krisel, John Lautner, and Paul R. Williams.<br />
An additional distinction of “The Desert Modernists” book is the remarkable<br />
collection of photography displayed within its pages, including many vintage and<br />
contemporary photos from private archives and images never-before seen in<br />
public. The iconic photographer Julius Shulman figures prominently with photos<br />
provided by the courtesy of his family and the Getty archives. Palm Springs has<br />
long been recognized as one of the most spectacular and geographically unique<br />
locations for architectural photography. The 17 professional photographers<br />
featured have beautifully captured the dramatic and graceful starkness of<br />
modern architecture positioned amidst the arid and sparse desert landscape.<br />
“This undertaking was a history-making collaboration and a labor of<br />
love. The result is a tribute to an amazing group of midcentury modern<br />
architects who had a distinct vision for Palm Springs’ future,” said J. Chris<br />
Mobley, Modernism Week Board Chairman. “Our non-profit mission<br />
includes educating and informing the public about the significance of the<br />
rich architectural heritage of Palm Springs. Proceeds from the sale of ‘The<br />
Desert Modernists’ will provide financial support for Modernism Week, its<br />
mission and year-round operations.”<br />
The retail price for “The Desert Modernists – The Architects Who<br />
Envisioned Midcentury Modern Palm Springs” is $50, and the book may be<br />
purchased at the following locations:<br />
Destination PSP – 170 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs and online at<br />
DestinationPSP.com<br />
Just Fabulous – 515 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs<br />
Just Modern – 901 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs<br />
Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center – 300 S. Palm<br />
Canyon Drive, Palm Springs<br />
Sunnylands Center and Gardens – 37977 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage,<br />
CA<br />
Fallingwater Museum Store – 1491 Mill Run Road, Mill Run, PA<br />
“The architects who practiced in Palm Springs during the mid 20th century<br />
brought attention to how architecture and landscape can be in sync,”<br />
observed Sydney Williams, the Palm Springs Art Museum’s Curator of<br />
Architecture and Design. “Each architect adapted their architecture to<br />
the desert environment in unique ways and each chapter of ‘The Desert<br />
Modernists’ reveals insights into their work.”<br />
Modernism Week will host a Fall Preview over the Columbus Day holiday<br />
weekend October 9-12, <strong>2015</strong>, and the 11th annual Modernism Week<br />
will take place February 11-21, 2016. For more information please visit<br />
modernismweek.com and follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.<br />
About Modernism Week:<br />
Modernism Week is a<br />
California 501 (c) (3) non-profit<br />
organization. Modernism Week<br />
is also a charitable organization,<br />
providing scholarships to local<br />
Palm Springs students pursuing<br />
college educations in the fields of<br />
architecture and design; as well<br />
as giving grants to local and state<br />
preservation organizations for<br />
their efforts to preserve modernist<br />
architecture throughout the state<br />
of California.<br />
Modernism Week’s Mission:<br />
The mission of Modernism<br />
Week is to celebrate and foster<br />
appreciation of mid-century<br />
architecture and design, as well<br />
as contemporary thinking in these<br />
fields, by encouraging education,<br />
preservation and sustainable<br />
modern living as represented in<br />
Palm Springs.