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Midcentury modern design at the Peabody Essex Museum

California Design

There's only one week left to see California Design, 1930-1945: Living in a Modern Way, a fantastic show featuring over 250 midcentury modern design objects at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem. The exhibition—which presents everything from furniture and fashion to vehicles, printed works, and more—is a celebration of midcentury California designers' impact on the nation's larger material culture, contextualized within the era's social and cultural climate. 

If you're in the area this week, be sure to swing by! This one is not-to-be-missed. And, if you'd like to learn more about one of this period's standout designers, check out our  story, California Dreamin', a profile of pioneering designer Paul László.

Margaret De Patta, Designs Contemporary, Pin, c. 1946–57. LACMA Decorative Arts and Design Acquisition and Deaccession Funds. Margaret De Patta Estate, courtesy Martha Bielawski. Photo © 2011 Museum Associates/LACMA. Margaret De Patta, Designs Contemporary, Pin, c. 1946–57. LACMA Decorative Arts and Design Acquisition and Deaccession Funds. Margaret De Patta Estate, courtesy Martha Bielawski. Photo © 2011 Museum Associates/LACMA.

Raymond Loewy, Studebaker Avanti, 1964. Private Collection of Richard Vaux. Photo by Walter Silver/PEM. Raymond Loewy, Studebaker Avanti, 1964. Private Collection of Richard Vaux. Photo by Walter Silver/PEM.

Zephyr clock, model P40, style 304, c. 1938. LACMA purchase with funds provided by Maura and Mark Resnick. Photo © Museum Associates/LACMA. Zephyr clock, model P40, style 304, c. 1938. LACMA purchase with funds provided by Maura and Mark Resnick. Photo © Museum Associates/LACMA.

Charles Eames and Ray Eames, ESU (Eames storage unit), c. 1949. Herman Miller Furniture Company. Gift of Mr. Sid Avery and Mr. James Corcoran. Eames Office LLC and Herman Miller Inc. Photo © 2011 Museum Associates/LACMA. Charles Eames and Ray Eames, ESU (Eames storage unit), c. 1949. Herman Miller Furniture Company. Gift of Mr. Sid Avery and Mr. James Corcoran. Eames Office LLC and Herman Miller Inc. Photo © 2011 Museum Associates/LACMA.

John Follis and James Reed, Arts and Architecture (magazine cover), September 1953. Collection of Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA). Reprinted courtesy of David Travers Associates/LACMA. John Follis and James Reed, Arts and Architecture (magazine cover), September 1953. Collection of Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA). Reprinted courtesy of David Travers Associates/LACMA.

Charles Eames and Ray Eames, Elephant, 1945. Molded Plywood Division, Evans Products Company (Venice, 1943–47). Eames Collection LLC. © The Eames Foundation. Courtesy Eames Office LLC (eamesoffice.com). Charles Eames and Ray Eames, Elephant, 1945. Molded Plywood Division, Evans Products Company (Venice, 1943–47). Eames Collection LLC. © The Eames Foundation. Courtesy Eames Office LLC (eamesoffice.com).

Richard Neutra, Kaufmann House, Palm Springs, 1946. Photo by Julius Shulman, 1947. Getty Research Institute. © J. Paul Getty Trust. Used with permission. Julius Shulman Photography Archive, Research Library at the Getty Research Institute (2004.R.10). Richard Neutra, Kaufmann House, Palm Springs, 1946. Photo by Julius Shulman, 1947. Getty Research Institute. © J. Paul Getty Trust. Used with permission. Julius Shulman Photography Archive, Research Library at the Getty Research Institute (2004.R.10).

 

*All images courtesy of PEM

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