Curators: Glenn Porter, Director Emeritus; Lynn Catanese, Head of Manuscripts and Archives; and Jim Hinz, former Library Conservator—all from the Hagley Museum and Library.
Organized by the Hagley Museum and Library, Wilmington, Delaware. Toured by Exhibits USA.
Raymond Loewy: Designs for a Consumer Culture surveys the creativity of Raymond Loewy, one of the most prominent industrial designers of the 20th century. Raymond Loewy (1893–1986) became involved in the emerging world of industrial design in the 1920s after a successful career in commercial illustration. His modern designs soon became ubiquitous in western culture, streamlining and modernizing silverware and fountain pens, supermarkets, and department stores. He and his teams designed the color scheme and logo for Air Force One, the John F. Kennedy memorial stamp, the Greyhound Scenicruiser, and the interiors for NASA’s Skylab. He also designed the well-known icons of Exxon, BP, and Lucky Strike cigarettes.
Raymond Loewy: Designs for a Consumer Culture places Loewy’s work in the wider context of the shaping of a modern look for “consumer culture.” Loewy’s career is brought to life by an array of original drawings, models, products, advertisements, photographs, and rare film footage. The presentation draws heavily on Loewy’s personal archives, a treasure collection of images and information not previously available.
Supported by a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.