14 Oct 2008

Greta Magnusson Grossman at The Drawing Center

The Drawing Center is pleased to present the first major U.S. exhibition to focus on the drawings of architect and industrial designer Greta Magnusson Grossman. From October 17 through November 6, 2008, in the Drawing Room, 'Greta Magnusson Grossman: Furniture and Lighting' will debut recently discovered industrial design drawings executed between 1948 and 1959 by the Scandinavian-born, Los Angeles-based artist.

Greta Magnusson Grossman (1906–1999) is today still an under-recognized figure in the Southern California design movement of the 1950s – '60s. Grossman was twice the recipient of the Museum of Modern Art's 'Good Design' award in 1950 and 1952. Her work was featured more than 14 times in John Entenza's 'Arts & Architecture' magazine between 1947 and 1960, and the houses, interiors, and objects she designed influenced a number of her better-known contemporaries, including Charles and Ray Eames, Richard Neutra, John Lautner, Irving Gill, and Pierre Koenig.

'Greta Magnusson Grossman: Furniture and Lighting' will feature small and large scale 'shop' drawings of her metal lamps designed for the Ralph O. Smith Company; furniture designs for Glenn of California, Barker Brothers, and the G.T. line; as well as archival photographs of manufactured works from Grossman's office that were used for client presentations. This exhibition is curated by Brett Littman, Executive Director of The Drawing Center.

Greta Magnusson Grossman was born in Sweden in 1906 and graduated from the School of Industrial Design in Stockholm in 1931. In 1933, she became the first woman to receive a prize for furniture design from the Swedish Society of Industrial Design. Grossman moved to Beverly Hills in 1941 and established her architecture, interior and industrial design practice there. Her designs have been exhibited at museums around the world including the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden; de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA; Röhsska Museum, Göteborg, Sweden; and the Walker Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN.

In conjunction with the exhibition, The Drawing Center will publish a 48-page, color edition of the Drawing Papers. 'Drawing Papers 81: Greta Magnusson Grossman: Furniture and Lighting' will include reproductions of Grossman's drawings as well as an introduction by Executive Director Brett Littman and an essay by Evan Snyderman, Co-Principal of R 20th Century Design.

Brett Littman and Evan Snyderman will give a free gallery talk about the legacy of Greta Magnusson Grossman on Tuesday, October 21 at 6:30 pm in the Drawing Room.