My development as an art historian has been profoundly shaped by the legacy of modernism and its relationship to decoration, craft, and design. In chronological order, here are five books that have motivated my thinking on the importance of applied arts in the conceptualization of modernism. Mark Wigley, White Walls,
Interview with Tamara H. Schenkenberg by David Ebony Japanese-American artist Ruth Asawa (1926-2013) is a unique figure in contemporary art. Her abstract sculptures, created with a novel, looped wire technique that resembles basket-weaving, are often misunderstood. For some, they embody the clash between craft and “fine art,” remaining uncertain as
Bibiana K. Obler— Here’s an assignment. Read my book. Then read the following excerpt from a letter from Wassily Kandinsky to Hans Arp, dated November 1912: The disharmoniousness (one might say, the negative rhythm) of the individual forms was that which primarily drew me, attracted me, during the period to