On Friday, February 25th, Alice T. Friedman will speak on and sign copies of her book American Glamour & the Evolution of Modern Architecture.
The event will be will be held at 2pm at the Foundation’s offices, located at 311 Peruvian Avenue in Palm Beach. It is free to members, students, and Town of Palm Beach government employees and $20 for non-members. Seating is limited so to make reservations please call 561.832.0731.
Alice T. Friedman is the Grace Slack McNeil Professor of the History of American Art and director of the McNeil Program for Studies in American Art at Wellesley College. Her book American Glamour & the Evolution of Modern Architecture draws on a vast range of sources to argue that the aesthetics of mid-century modern architecture reflect an increasing fascination with “glamour,” a term widely used in those years to characterize objects, people, and experiences as luxurious, expressive, and even magical. Featuring assessments of architectural examples ranging from Mies van der Rohe’s monolithic Seagram Building to Elvis Presley’s sprawling Graceland estate, as well as vintage photographs, advertisements, and posters, Friedman’s book argues that new audiences and client groups with tastes rooted in popular entertainment made their presence felt in the cultural marketplace during the postwar period. Friedman suggests that American and European architecture and design increasingly reflected the values of a burgeoning consumer society, including a fundamental confidence in the power of material objects to transform the identity and status of those who owned them.
****
The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach is one of the strongest and most well established membership-based nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations in South Florida. Intended to bring together like-minded individuals with a genuine interest in preserving, maintaining and honoring the unique architectural and cultural history of Palm Beach, the Foundation and its members have long been identified for their commitment to Palm Beach and their efforts to better the community. Over 30 years, the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach has given millions of dollars for the preservation and restoration of historic properties; worked advocating for the creation of over 250 landmarked properties; recognized numerous architects, owners, and properties with awards; educated hundreds of thousands of children about the architectural, cultural and environmental legacy of Palm Beach; and saved thousands of archival documents in our library among many other accomplishments.
Alexander C. Ives
Co-Director
Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach
311 Peruvian Avenue
Palm Beach, Florida 33480
561.832.0731, ext.101
aives@palmbeachpreservation.org
Comments