Description
The painter, designer, and architect Henry van de Velde (1863-1957) played a crucial role in expanding modernist aesthetics beyond Paris and beyond painting. Opposing growing nationalism around 1900, he sought to make painting the basis of an aesthetic that transcended boundaries between the arts and between nations through his work in Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Van de Velde's designs for homes, museums, and theaters received international recognition. The artist, often associated with the Art Nouveau and Jugendstil, developed a style of abstraction that he taught in his School of Applied Arts in Weimar, the immediate precursor of and model for the Bauhaus. As a leading member of the German Werkbund, he helped shaped the fields of modern architecture and design. This long-awaited book, the first major work on van de Velde in English, firmly positions him as one of the twentieth century's most influential artists and an essential voice within the modern movement.
About the Author
Katherine M. Kuenzli is professor of art history at Wesleyan University.
Reviews
"[An] excellent critical study"-Anne Ceresole, Journal of the Decorative Arts Society
"The fascinating story...posits a new interpretation of the artist and architect, one that weaves together the complexities of his work with the social, historical and artistic context in which it emerged."-Claire Moran, Journal of Design History
"Katherine Kuenzli offers an original portrait of van de Velde-his personality, ideals, and work-through exemplary research and superb illustrations."-Harry Mallgrave, Illinois Institute of Technology
"Kuenzli fills a major gap ambitiously and successfully, and she convincingly shows how existing narratives need to be revised as a result."- Frederic J. Schwartz, University College London
Book Information
ISBN 9780300226669
Author Katherine M. Kuenzli
Format Hardback
Page Count 240
Imprint Yale University Press
Publisher Yale University Press
Van de Velde's designs for homes, museums, and theaters received international recognition. The artist, often associated with the Art Nouveau and Jugendstil, developed a style of abstraction that he taught in his School of Applied Arts in Weimar, the immediate precursor of and model for the Bauhaus. As a leading member of the German Werkbund, he helped shaped the fields of modern architecture and design. This long-awaited book, the first major work on van de Velde in English, firmly positions him as one of the twentieth century's most influential artists and an essential voice within the modern movement.
About the Author
Katherine M. Kuenzli is professor of art history at Wesleyan University.
Reviews
"[An] excellent critical study"-Anne Ceresole, Journal of the Decorative Arts Society
"The fascinating story...posits a new interpretation of the artist and architect, one that weaves together the complexities of his work with the social, historical and artistic context in which it emerged."-Claire Moran, Journal of Design History
"Katherine Kuenzli offers an original portrait of van de Velde-his personality, ideals, and work-through exemplary research and superb illustrations."-Harry Mallgrave, Illinois Institute of Technology
"Kuenzli fills a major gap ambitiously and successfully, and she convincingly shows how existing narratives need to be revised as a result."- Frederic J. Schwartz, University College London
Book Information
ISBN 9780300226669
Author Katherine M. Kuenzli
Format Hardback
Page Count 240
Imprint Yale University Press
Publisher Yale University Press
