Design of the 20th Century

by Charlotte Fiell, Peter Fiell

The bible of breakthroughs and inspiration (TASCHEN's 25th anniversary special edition) Poised at the start of the 21st century, we can see clearly that the previous century was marked by momentous changes in the field of design. Aesthetics entered into everyday life with often staggering results. Our homes and workplaces turned into veritable galleries of style and innovation. From furniture to graphics, it's all here?the work of artists who have shaped and recreated the modern world with a dizzying variety of materials. From the organic to the geometric, from Art Deco, through to Pop and High-Tech, this book contains all the great names - Bernhard, Bertoia, De Stijl, Dieter Rams, Starck, Charles and Ray Eames, to name only a very few. This essential book is a comprehensive journey through the shapes and colours, forms and functions of design history in the 20th century. An A-Z of designers and design schools, which builds into a complete picture of contemporary living.

Genres: Design, Art, Nonfiction, Architecture, Reference, Interior Design, Art Design

768 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1999

About the author

Charlotte Fiell is a leading authority on the history, theory and criticism of design and, to date, has written 60 books on the subject.

Charlotte initially studied at Heatherley School of Fine Art in London and then later at the British Institute in Florence. She subsequently took a BA(Hons) degree in the History of Drawing and Printmaking with Material Science at Camberwell College of Arts (UAL), London. Following on from this, she trained at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike Taschen's similar Modern Art volume, this is not a book you just read straight through but one you browse and pick out designs that appeal to you. I didn't find it super rewarding but it did establish some names (almost all white European men) in my mind for future reference.

[fredi · Rating 3 out of 5]

why is it sorted alphabetical???

[KaSaBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book surprised me. Usually, I regard encyclopedias a fairly boring read. Worse still, they are oftentimes not comprehensive enough to answer my questions. Not so, here. With the 2012 edition of their design bible, Charlotte and Peter Fiell accomplished something remarkable: They managed to condense the complex and varied history of 20th century design into an accessible, comprehensive and beautifully illustrated master piece. The book lends itself well to act as a reference to a single piece of information. But it may prove equally useful as entry point to a larger research project. Considering that it has roughly 750 pages, it could be pretty hefty. Interestingly, it is not! Its format (approximately A5) makes it portable and thus very "user-friendly."

[Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mid-century design encyclopedia that is highly engaging and interesting, this was my introduction to a lot of the artists/movements involved in interior design, the decorative arts, and material culture in general. The Taschen series are always a good option if you're interested in a topic because they're affordable, high quality, and highly researched.

[Nate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good-looking book. Nice jacket and hardcover design. However, it spends a criminally short amount of time on each designer for such an incredibly long book. I also didn't care for the way the content was laid out; it was a combination of design styles and designers in alphabetical order. I did not find this book useful for inspiration.

[haven ⋄ f (hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

a great resource for design BUT is 70% chairs. i wish it was slightly better organized too, having assorted art/design movements or term definitions in-between designers was a little confusing. however i did learn a lot once i started skipping the chair entries

[Luca Moise · Rating 5 out of 5]

A high variety of engaging mid-century design pieces!

[Jan Tománek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Takový stručný přehled o deisgnerech 20. století, mířený spíše na lidi v designu se již orientující, což já nejsem, takže jsem nebyl nikterak potěšen tím, že se v knize dost často opakovalo: "Tento autor je známý výrobkem X a na další stránce najdete obrázek výrobku Y", což se sice hodí někomu, kdo si rozšiřuje znalosti, ne pro toho, kdo teprve získává ty zákkladní. Jinak Celkem dobrá kniha.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

zoe actually gave me this book except my copy has a different cover. i love it. thanks zoe!

[Linda Fast · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written book of design concepts of the 20th century. A complete historic representation of designers, architects, artists ect. and well documented photos.

[Ralph Zoontjens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of the best and most iconic designs of the 20th century with a lot of emphasis on furniture. It was the first book on design I ever bought, and I still enjoy it.

[Claudia Yahany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy bonito libro de referencias.