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George Nelson
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George Nelson Design (1908-1986), USA.
George Nelson was one of the most groundbreaking designers
of mid century modern design in the 20th century. Among George Nelson's most well-known works
are the iconic Nelson clocks and Bubble lamps who continue to adorn homes
all over the world. Please have a look at the George Nelson collection which includes
elegant wall clocks from the Vitra Design Museum like the George Nelson Ball clock, the George Nelson Sunburst clock
and the large Sunflower clock. The Herman Miller collection includes quality design pieces like the George Nelson bench, the George Nelson Coconut chair and the George Nelson miniature chest.
And we have seen the George Nelson Marshmallow sofa in more museum collections, tv commercials and in magazine ads than we can remember! The George Nelson Bubble Lamps continue to be our most popular
lamps in our modern lighting collection. These modern lights include the Saucer lamp, Ball Lamp, Cigar Lamp, Criss Cross lamp and
many other modern pendants from the Modernica collection.
When writing about the course of his remarkable 50-year career, George Nelson described a series of creative "zaps"--moments of out-of-the-blue inspiration "when the solitary individual finds he is connected with a reality he never dreamed of."
George Nelson got an early zap in the 1930s, when he was an architectural student in Rome. Before returning home, an idea struck him: He would travel Europe and interview leading modern architects, hoping to get the articles published in the U.S. He succeeded, and in the process introduced the U.S. design community to the European avant-garde. This set in motion a sequence of what he called "lucky" career breaks that were really the inevitable outcomes of his brilliance as a designer, teacher, and author.
The first break was being named an editor of Architectural Forum magazine. Working on a story there in 1942, he was looking at aerial photos of blighted cities when--zap!--he developed the concept of the downtown pedestrian mall, which was unveiled in the Saturday Evening Post.
Soon after, another zap led to the Storagewall, the first modular storage system and a forerunner of systems furniture. The Storagewall was showcased in a 1945 Life magazine article, causing a sensation in the furniture industry. Herman Miller founder D.J. DePree saw the article and was so impressed that he paid a visit to Nelson in New York and convinced him to be his director of design, which spurred Nelson to found his design firm, George Nelson & Associates. The warm personal and professional relationship between Nelson and DePree yielded a stunning range of products, from the playful Marshmallow Sofa to the first L-shaped desk, a precursor of today's workstation.
George Nelson once wrote that Herman Miller "is not playing follow-the-leader". That's one reason why George Nelson & Associates worked with Herman Miller for over 25 years as they shepherded design into the modern era.
During this same period, George Nelson & Associates also created many landmark designs of products, showrooms, and exhibitions for a variety of companies and organizations.
George Nelson said that for a designer to deal creatively with human needs, "he must first make a radical, conscious break with all values he identifies as antihuman." Designers also must constantly be aware of the consequences of their actions on people and society. In fact, he declared that "total design is nothing more or less than a process of relating everything to everything." So he said that rather than specializing, designers must cultivate a broad base of knowledge and understanding.
George Nelson did so as few are able, and, with the help of well-timed zaps, he helped define modern, humane design.
View the George Nelson Herman Miller Collection.
View the George Nelson Modernica Collection.
View the George Nelson Vitra Collection.
View the George Nelson Design Archive.
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