The development of their styles can be traced in lesley jacksons book robin and lucienne day. But i think that kind of mutual admiration was one of the reasons that period of design 1930s1960s was so important. Category 1950s british midcentury modern vintage robin day furniture. Robin day, the creator of the bestselling polypropylene chair,was renowned as afurniture designer, but also excelled in many other fields over the years, includingexhibition design, graphics and product design. Interestingly, the painterly styles of these two patterns were soon put to one side by. Robin and lucienne day pioneers of cont robin day on. Pioneers of contemporary design by lesley jackson isbn. British textile designer lucienne day had a transformative effect on pattern design from the 1950s onwards. Robin day working on the qstak chair 1953 robin day designed this onepiece moulded plywood chair with economy in mind. Today i will be focusing on the work of lucienne day a midcentury textile designer who, along with her husband robin day, were the british answer to uber design couple charles and ray eames. The foundations photographic archive will be supported by input from design historian lesley jackson. Pioneers of contemporary design, mitchell beazley, 2001, p.
Pattern design by lucienne day 19172010, 1950s, apollo. Photograph lucienne and robin day foundation, courtesy of antique collectors club. Robin day, obe, rdi, fcsd 25 may 1915 9 november 2010 was one of the most significant british furniture designers of the 20th century, enjoying a long career spanning seven decades. The book is a great mix of photos and text, fabulous for anyone interested in 20th c design. While robin provided interior design and room sets, lucienne took the opportunity to let her imagination run loose. In close collaboration with the robin and lucienne day foundation, case furniture revisited the original design of the 675 chair and faithfully reinstated, in the 2014 chair, the element and detail of the 1952 original. Photograph robin and lucienne day foundation, courtesy of antique collectors club. Images from style icons such as robin day, hans wenger, lucienne day and gio ponti are included. Now it must not be allowed to disappear into the design history archives, nor be exploited and.
Robin days use of simple minimalist shapes when designing furniture and lucienne days use of abstract colourful shapes when creating fabrics are still. The furniture designer robin day 19152010 and his textile designer wife lucienne 19172010 transformed british design after world war ii by pioneering a new modern idiom. The women who designed the pattern for modern britain art. The first thought that came to mind when looking into robin and lucienne days work was how their. Pioneers of contemporary design is at the barbican gallery, london ec2 0207638 8891, from tomorrow until april 16. Lucienne day in conversation with jennifer harris author of lucienne day. Lucienne designed an exclusive fabric pattern used for curtains. The robin and lucienne day foundation is a design education charity established by their daughter paula day in 2012. Apr 01, 2011 robin and lucienne day robin and lucienne day are respectively product and textile designers who bought a breath of fresh air to british design back in the 50s thanks to robins cheap mass produced furniture and luciennes vibrant and colourful textiles. An exhibition of lucienne days textiles and robin days furniture, robin and lucienne day. Apr 16, 2014 this beautifully illustrated book brings together the many aspects of the work of lucienne day, in textiles, wallpaper, carpets and ceramics from both britain and europe. May 26, 2018 enid marx, minnie mcleish and lucienne day a generation of revolutionary print creators vanessa thorpe sat 26 may 2018 16.
Now it must not be allowed to disappear into the design history archives, nor be exploited and abused by companies looking to get rich quick. Lesley jackson robin day, the creator of the bestselling polypropylene chair, was renowned as a furniture designer, but also excelled in many other fields over the years, including exhibition design, graphics and. Hailed as the british counterparts to charles and ray eames, robin. This exhibition was accompanied by a book by design historian and curator lesley jackson called robin and lucienne day pioneers of contemporary design mitchell beazley, 2001, which.
The robin day furniture design award 2015, will send 100 state schools copies of lesley jacksons book modern british furniture to award to their best gcse design and technology student. Upon fingering through the book, it is easy to tell that all of the designers of the time were aware of each others work, as many pieces of lucienne and robin day look very similar to other designers of the time. There is an excellent resources guide at the end of the book. This beautifully illustrated book brings together the many aspects of the work of lucienne day, in textiles, wallpaper, carpets and ceramics from both britain and europe. Lucienne also conceived a new textile design, calyx, intended to complement robins more costly livingdining room. The book is a great mix of photos and text, fabulous for. Robin and lucienne day lead the way in post war design at pallant house gallery a celebration of the power couple of modern interior design husband and wife robin and lucienne day opens in london this week.
When did both lucienne and robin get their big breaks in the industry. This is a fabulous book and design resource that you will want to dip into time and again with stylish photography by jan baldwin. I can appreciate robin s cleverness but lucienne is the girl for me. The book was written with the support of the family of lucienne day, and her daughter, paula, writes a fascinating foreward, with her own personal insight on what made her mother so extraordinary. His wife lucienne day, nee conradi 19172010 was a renowned textile designer. The first thought that came to mind when looking into robin and lucienne days work was how their designs, created 60 years ago were still so very appealing to todays modern society. Photographs show the lead up to her career breakthrough at the festival of britain 1951, with her pioneering contemporary design calyx. This exhibition was accompanied by a book by design historian and curator lesley jackson called robin and lucienne day pioneers of contemporary design mitchell beazley, 2001, which documented the couples careers in detail and traced the evolution of their styles. In 1951, working alongside her husband robin at the festival of britain exhibition, she developed a variety of new styles in both fabric textiles and wallpapers. The days both died in 2010 which has increased their profile in the uk and worldwide.
Feb 26, 2014 6 information from the lucienne day accounts book. He had already left the college in 1938, having specialised in furniture and interior design. Lesley jacksons book accompanying the exhibition is. Dec 19, 2014 robin day, the son of a police constable in high wycombe, and desiree lucienne conradi, who grew up in croydon, the daughter of belgian reinsurance broker, met at a royal college of art dance in 1940. Robin and lucienne day were phenomenally influential in the postwar design world, wo. The couple who transformed british design after world war ii by pioneering a new modern idiom. I think the first things that are relevant are that things should work well. Lucienne day is best known for her furnishing fabrics, but in the decade 19591969 she devoted a lot of her time to the design of household goods.
Lucienne diver joined the knight agency in 2008, after spending fifteen years at new york citys prestigious spectrum literary agency. Sep 16, 2015 robin and lucienne days design oeuvre is complete. Hailed as the british counterparts to charles and ray eames, robin and lucienne day electrified the british design scene in the 1950s with their startling furniture and textile designs. With her sharp eye and gift for spotting original new voices, lucienne is one of the most wellrespected agents in the industry. Design and the modern interior the late robin and lucienne day need very little introduction. I love that you can really see her hand in her designs, the quality of her line is very studied and just a little naive.
Design and the modern interior, will be held in spring 2011 at pallant house gallery in chichester the city where the days retired in 2000, in order to be. Robins low cost, massproduced furniture, among which is the multimillion selling polypropylene chair, and luciennes abstract, colourful prints led them to become key players in the 1951. This is a super coffee table book, it looks fabulous and has the bonus of being a very interesting read too. In 2001 she designed lesley jacksons authoritative book robin and lucienne day. Robin days armchair for the royal festival hall, 1951. See more ideas about lucienne day, robin day and design. For these room settings he needed a wallpaper and furnishing fabric that would sit comfortably with his modern furniture. Enid marx, minnie mcleish and lucienne day a generation of revolutionary print creators vanessa thorpe sat 26 may 2018 16.
Facebook gives people the power to share and makes. As a legendary british design couple, their work has been documented, celebrated and mimicked many times over. Lesley jackson hailed as the british counterparts to charles and ray eames, robin and lucienne day electrified the british design scene in the 1950s with their startling furniture and textile designs. As britains most distinguished designers of the postwar period, robin and lucienne day pursued celebrated careers for more than fifty years.
From a 1960s biology book, illustration by charles harper science and art used to be match made in haven but that time is over. Pioneers of modern design, which showcases both luciennes work, and the work of her equally talented husband robin, is now at the top of my wish list. Robin and lucienne day, the firstever fulllength monograph on their designs, features neverbeforeseen archival material along with over 250 color images of the full range of their work, including furniture, ceramics, textiles, wallpaper, interiors, appliances, exhibit designs, and graphics. See more ideas about lucienne day, robin day and robin. She was in her final year studying printed textiles. Robin and lucienne day foundation lives and designs. Continuing on from yesterdays post on the pattern designs of mina perhonen, i thought i would make a bit of a jump in time and tone. She was born in 1917, and married robin in 1942, and their work tied in perfectly with the postwar desire for new and exciting design after an age of. A career in design contrary to their fears, lucienne day s new design turned out to have great market appeal and became one of many commercial successes in a longstanding partnership between heals and the designer. Robin s revolutionary furniture designs introduced materials such as plastic, steel and plywood to homes, offices and schools. Andrew casey, who first interviewed lucienne day at her home in cheyne walk, london in 1993, has uncovered previously unpublished material from the lucienne day archives and the robin and lucienne day foundation. Robin day s early designs reflected the optimistic, forwardlooking mood of the postwar era. Robin day hillestak dining table and vhairs by hille midcentury design, circa 1950 hillestak dining set by robin day for hille, dining table and four dining chairs, circa 1950, wi.
Robin and lucienne day by lesley jackson, 9781845336349, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Robins revolutionary furniture designs introduced materials such as plastic, steel and plywood to homes, offices and schools. Mar 07, 2016 went to see the robin and lucienne day exhibition at chichester. Living design tells the story of luciennes design career, unfolding in a sequence of images and textiles drawn from the archives of the robin and lucienne day foundation. Andrew casey, who first interviewed lucienne day at her home in cheyne walk, london in 1993, has uncovered previously unpublished material from the lucienne day archives and. Design textile textile prints textile art fabric design digital print textiles digital prints indigo prints blue. This updated book celebrates and offers an insight into their remarkable success and was specially produced to accompany the 2011 exhibition robin and lucienne day. Wilhelmina bunn baldwin curator robin and lucienne. An accomplished industrial and interior designer, he was also active in the fields of graphics and exhibitions. Famous for the polypropylene chair, robin designed the original dining hall chairs.
In 2001 lucienne and robin days work was featured in a joint retrospective at the barbican art gallery, london, the largest gathering of their work to date. Aug 01, 2011 this is a super coffee table book, it looks fabulous and has the bonus of being a very interesting read too. Room setting by robin day with textiles by lucienne. And check out these cool jack purcell converse sneakers made with luciennes trio pattern. Robin and lucienne day foundation news lucienne day. Shop authentic robin day furniture and other robin day furniture from the worlds best dealers. See more ideas about lucienne day, textile design and textile patterns. Provence wallpaper, a previous design by lucienne day, was chosen for one room to illustrate an affordable interior. He experimented with new materials in inexpensive furniture for manufacturers like hille and she revitalised textile design with vibrant patterns for heals.
Pioneers of contemporary design mitchell beazley, new edition 2011 is the definitive work on the days design careers. The robin and lucienne day foundation material experimentation was the. Join facebook to connect with lucienne diver and others you may know. My parents both achieved public recognition for their work for the festival of britain in 1951.
How robin and lucienne day transformed postwar british design. The couple who transformed british design after world war ii by pioneering a. In the spirit of the age is a welcome addition to publisher antique collectors club series on textile design. Today i will be focusing on the work of lucienne day a midcentury textile designer who, along with her husband robin day, were the british answer to uber design couple charles and ray eames she was born in 1917, and married robin in 1942, and their work.
Lucienne day inspired patterns celebrating the centenary. The berlin range was designed by theo baumann for rosenthal in. The robin and lucienne day foundation launches disegnodaily. Hailed as the british counterparts to charles and ray eames, robin and lucienne day electrified the british design scene in the 1950s with their startling. Lucienne day, an outstandingtextile designer, gained early recognition with calyx, her acclaimed furnishingfabric for the festival of britain in 1951, and she also designed. Robin and lucienne day are respectively product and textile designers who bought a breath of fresh air to british design back in the 50s thanks to robins cheap mass produced furniture and luciennes vibrant and colourful textiles. Pallant house gallery hosts a major exhibition on the days in 2011. The women who designed the pattern for modern britain. Indeed, their influence over the next five decades has been so profound that their early products were. Nov 09, 2010 the development of their styles can be traced in lesley jacksons book robin and lucienne day. Pioneers of style has sold in excess of 10,000 copies in the uk since its release in 2000. Robin and lucienne day transformed british design after world war ii with striking furniture and textiles that signaled a new era of modernist sensibilities for everyday living. Rare lucienne day leaf design coffee pot for rosenthal.
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