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Writer's pictureSteven Heller

Weekend Heller: What is Midcentury American Modern?

We’ll tell you on Nov. 20 when AIGA/NY presents “Meet The Moderns” at The New School John L. Tishman Auditorium. Tickets can be ordered here.


Modernism transformed American graphic design in the mid-20th century and established a visual language that still carries tremendous authority. The Moderns: Midcentury American Graphic Design (Abrams Books) is the first comprehensive survey of this phenomenon, showcasing 63 graphic designers. Some were émigrés (including five Bauhaus students and faculty) who brought the gospel of Modernism to America from its sources in Europe. Others were homegrown talents who encountered Modernism in schools and studios at home and abroad. They formed a multigenerational community, learning from one another and forging individual practices through engagement with the aesthetics of the movement.

Josef Albers.

Charles Murphy.

Rudy De Harak.

Barbara Stauffacher Solomon.

Lillian Baseman.


Following an introduction by Debbie Millman, I will speak about the book, and Greg D’Onofrio will lead a panel of Moderns: George Lois, Tom Geismar, Richard Danne and Rudi Wolff, who will discuss what Modern means to them.

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