Paul Frankl and Walter Kantack: Rebels

Okay, so they weren't really rebels, but they did make "original" designs for the Art-In-Trades Club exhibition of 1926. There were a few others who submitted similar designs, but for the most part the catalogue presents period style. Right now I have the club's exhibition catalogues from 1924 and 1926 (and plan on seeing the others in NYC soon). Both of the books I have now show a few designs inspired by the Paris Expo among the many revival interiors and objects. Yesterday I spoke with historian Cheryl Robertson, who actually used to teach in my program, about the club and design during their time period. One thing she told me to figure out is if their statement of purpose (or activities) really changed during the war (WWI). Post-war design (and society for that matter) seemed to be more accepting of all things corporate, unlike the individual craftsman champions of the arts and crafts movement. It's actually a little difficult to tell if the club favored the manufacturer or the individual designer (as pictured in this page from their catalogue), because they sort of do both. They definitely state in their introduction to the show that they accept the commercial, though they would like to wed art and the trade. Seeing all of the catalogues and getting a handle on the information I do have will help me figure out what's going on here. What is their mission statement? What are they doing? What do they produce? What are they doing for society (or at least the design field)? Do the products of club members align with their written goals? Where do they fit in design history? Could this club be an alternative to the current scholarly narrative of Modernism? Are they part of it - another side of the story? And that is pretty much my thesis in a very very tiny nutshell.