Design of the 20th Century
About
Taschen assembled this visual survey to provide accessible entry into the complex history of modern design, tracing developments from the early industrial age through the century's conclusion. The scope intentionally spans disciplines, recognizing that furniture, graphics, architecture, and product design developed through constant cross-pollination rather than isolated evolution.
More than 500 images illustrate the text, presenting objects in sufficient quality to support genuine visual analysis rather than merely decorating pages. These reproductions enable readers to examine surface treatments, proportional relationships, and material choices that verbal description alone cannot adequately communicate. Photography captures not just iconic pieces but also lesser-known works that illuminate broader movements.
Profiled practitioners include expected figures like Dieter Rams, whose ten principles influenced subsequent generations of industrial designers, and Charles and Ray Eames, whose furniture and films defined mid-century American modernism. Le Corbusier appears for his architectural contributions and furniture designs that translated modernist theory into domestic objects. These major figures receive contextual positioning alongside contemporaries and successors who elaborated or challenged their approaches.
Chronological organization enables readers to trace influence paths and observe how economic, technological, and social changes prompted design responses. Bauhaus rationalism, Scandinavian humanist modernism, Italian postmodern play, and late-century digital transitions each receive examination within historical context.
The writing maintains accessibility without sacrificing substance, serving undergraduate design students, working creatives seeking historical grounding, and general readers curious about how the manufactured environment achieved its current form. This functions as both introduction and reference, equally useful for first encounters and subsequent consultations.
