Designing Modernity

One of the critical formative influences of the 20th century has been the response to modernity. In the struggle between modern and anti-modern forces, between progressiveness and reaction, design has been a key element in the service of reform movements and as an agent of propaganda. Written by leading social and art historians, this book is published to accompany a travelling exhibition organized by the Wolfsonian, a Miami institution dedicated to examining the social, political and aesthetic significance of objects produced between 1885 and 1945. With hundreds of photographs of the Wolfsonian's collection of objects - posters, books, furniture and ceramics - it shows how design has been a vital tool in acclimatizing people to life in the modern world, examining the different ways that political, industrial and cultural leaders throughout Europe and America have used design in their programmes of reform, in their efforts to shape public opinion and the forge a sense of national identity.