The Best New Design Books to Add to Your Bookshelf

Photo by: Philip Friedman/Studio D

Textile Design

When artists like Picasso, Matisse, Miró, and Dufy took up fabric design, the result was truly art for the masses - conveniently sold by the yard. "The 1940s was probably the most fruitful decade in America for the engagement of fine artists with the textile industry," an excerpt from the book says. "The reasons for this were many, but reinforcing all of these was the enormous vitality and

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Photo by: Philip Friedman/Studio D

Textile Design

When artists like Picasso, Matisse, Miró, and Dufy took up fabric design, the result was truly art for the masses - conveniently sold by the yard. "The 1940s was probably the most fruitful decade in America for the engagement of fine artists with the textile industry," an excerpt from the book says. "The reasons for this were many, but reinforcing all of these was the enormous vitality and enthusiasm generated in the resurgence of American society and culture in the postwar era, and the resultant openness to new ideas."

Textile Design: Artists' Textiles 1940-1976. By Geoffrey Rayner, Richard Chamberlain, and Annamarie Stapleton. Antique Collectors' Club; $50.

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