EVERYDAY ART QUARTERLY No. 17, Winter 1950–1951
A GUIDE TO WELL DESIGNED PRODUCTS.
D. S. Defenbacher [Editorial Director]
D. S. Defenbacher [Editorial Director]: EVERYDAY ART QUARTERLY: A GUIDE TO WELL DESIGNED PRODUCTS. Minneapolis; Walker Art Center; Issue No. 17, Winter 1950–1951. Original edition. Stapled photo illustrated stiff wrappers. 16 pp. 33 black and white images. Advertisements. A very influential publication, quite uncommon with an unusually magnificent cover design. White wrappers worn and rubbed, subscriber address typed to rear panel, and a couple of rubber cement spots to text pages, but a very good copy.
8.5 x 11 softcover magazine with 16 pages and 33 black and white images. This issue of Everyday Art Quarterly offers a magnificent snapshot of the blossoming modern movement after World War II. A very desirable, truly amazing vintage publication in terms of form and content: high quality printing and clean, functional design and typography and excellent photographic reproduction make this a spectacular addition to a midcentury design collection. Highly recommended.
Contents:
- Useful Objects: includes the Eames molded plastic chair; wooden bowls by James Prestini; Alvin Lustig's armchair for Paramount Furniture; a slat screen by Topicraft; George Nelson's slat bench for Herman Miller; a Lightolier floor lamp, among many others.
- Toys to Grow With: shows the Magnet Master designed by Arthur Carrara and Bild Blox designed by Richard Hammel.
- Where to Buy Modern Design throughout the United States: several shops and stores are shown with their inventories. Some of these shops and stores (along with their addresses) include Alexander Girard's showroom in Grosse Point, Michigan; Contemporary House of Dallas, Texas; Bamberger-Harand of Forest Hills, New York; Casa Manana of Monterey, California; R.G. Studios of San Antonio, Texas; Bernoudy Associates of Clayton, Missouri; and Modern Design Incorporated of Washington, D.C.
- Bibliography: articles about modern design published in such magazines as "Arts & Architecture," "Art & Industry," "Modern Plastics," " Interiors," "Design," " Progressive Architecture," and others.
Everyday Art Quarterly was published by the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis starting in 1946. The editorial focus aimed to bring modern design to the masses through thoughtful examination of household objects and their designers. Everyday Art Quarterly was a vocal proponent of the Good Design movement (as represented by MoMA and Chicago's Merchandise Mart) and spotlighted the best in industrial and handcrafted design. When the magazine became Design Quarterly in 1954, the editors assumed a more international flair in their selection of material to spotlight.