Ernest Race
By: 978-0955356209 is the second printing of 0850721288
Edition: First Edition second printing
Series: Design Council
Publisher: Graham Mancha
Published: 2006
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 80
ISBN-13: 978-095535629
Copyright date: 1982 Hazel Conway
Subjects: Furniture and Design
First sentence: Ernest Race's career as a professional furniture designer dates from the end of the Second World War, when the only furniture that was allowed to be made in this country was Utility; there were severe shortages of materials for furniture-making and it hardly seemed a propitious moment to launch a new career. Race had been involved in design before the war, but his main concern then had been with textiles. In the 1930s, when he trained as a designer and started his career, the main influence on architecture and design was the International Modern Movement. The work of Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and Gropius was becoming better known among architects and designers in Britain, though it was by no means widely accepted here; indeed, both traditional and revivalist architects and designers were loud in their criticisms. Race's career as a designer thus spanned the 1930s, the period of Utility furniture, the flourishing of 'contemporary' design in the 1950s and continued into the early 1960s. In 1964 he died at the early age of 49.
Description: mid-20th century furniture design. Ernest Race is best known for his Antelope chair designed for the 1951 Festival of Britain and the Penguin Donkey MKII for Isokon. This book examines Race's contribution to British design in the context of the period, leading to an understanding of what were the most important factors inspiring his designs. Covering elements such as the influence of ideals, theories and economic elements as well as the forms of specific designs.
Table of contents: value: Introduction, Ernest Race and Ernest Race Ltd, The Utility Furniture Scheme, The BA Chair and Metal Furniture, The Festival Chairs and Contemporary Design, Steel Rod Furniture, Contract Furniture, Consultancy, Notes & References, Further Reading, Acknowledgments