Knoll Textiles, 1945-2010

by Angela Völker, Paul Makovsky (Contribution by), Susan Ward (Contribution by), Earl Martin (Editor), Bobbye Tigerman (Contribution by)

Overview

The first comprehensive study of Knoll's innovative textile designs and the company's role within the history of interior design

In 1940, Hans Knoll founded a company in New York that soon earned a reputation for its progressive line of furniture. Florence Schust joined the firm and helped establish its interior design division, the Knoll Planning Unit. In 1947, the year after their marriage, Hans and Florence Knoll added a third division, Knoll Textiles, which brought textile production in line with a modern sensibility that used color and texture as primary design elements. In the early years, the company hired leading proponents of modern design as well as young, untried designers to create textile patterns. The division thrived in the late 1940s through 1960s and, in the following decade, adopted a more international outlook as design direction shifted to Europe. In the late 1970s and 1980s, Knoll tapped fashion designers and architects to bolster its brand. The pioneering use of new materials and a commitment to innovative design have remained Knoll's hallmarks to the present day. 

With essays by experts, biographies of about eighty designers, and images of textiles, drawings, furniture, and ephemera, Knoll Textiles, 1945-2010 is the first comprehensive study devoted to a leading contributor to modern textile design. Highlighting the individuals and ideas that helped shape Knoll Textiles over the years, this book brings the Knoll brand and the role of textiles in the history of design to the forefront of public attention.

Published for the Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, Design History, Material Culture

Exhibition Schedule:

The Bard Graduate Center, New York
(05/18/11-07/31/11)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300170696
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	08/31/2011
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 10.60(h) x 1.80(d)

About the Author

Earl Martin is associate curator at the Bard Graduate Center, New York. Paul Makovsky is editorial director of Metropolis magazine. Bobbye Tigerman is assistant curator of decorative arts and design at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Angela Völker is emeritus curator of textiles at the MAK, Vienna. Susan Ward is an independent scholar.

Editorial Reviews

Honorable Mention for the 2012 San Francisco Book Festival award for Photography and Art.

San Francisco Book Festival - Photography/Art Honorable Mention

"Published as a catalog in conjunction with a recent exhibition at New York City's Bard Graduate Center, this opus is the size of an encyclopedia—and it's just as useful as one."—Surface

Surface

Won First Prize for the 2012 AAM Museum Publications Design Competition for the Exhibition Catalogues Category.

American Association of Museums (AAM) - First Prize Publication Design Competition

A stunning, brick-size compilation of little-known and rarely seen materials, . . The book’s design is mesmerizing . . .

Graphically, Knoll Textiles bridges the divide between scholarship and enjoyment.”—Steven Heller, New York Times Book Review

New York Times Book Review - Steven Heller

Winner of the 2011 50Books/50Covers Book Design competition sponsored by Design Observer, AIGA, and Designers & Books.

designers & books - 50 Books