THE NEW LOOK: Design in the Fifties...

THE NEW LOOK: Design in the Fifties by Lesley Jackson (Thames & Hudson: $24.95). Jackson argues that the post-World War II revolution in the decorative arts drew its principal inspiration from trends in the fine arts, as designers in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, the United States and Italy translated artistic theory into daily reality. The increasing use of asymmetry in the sculpture of Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Alexander Calder was echoed in the curvilinear forms of furniture, jewelry and decorative glassware; the influence of abstract painting can be seen in textiles, wallpaper and surface decoration. This handsome book offers interesting background reading for anyone interested in the origins of the current retro fashions. (Above is George Nelson’s “Atom” clock, circa 1952.)