The Austrian Cultural Forum New York is pleased to host a panel discussion featuring
the esteemed New York-based design historian Marilyn F. Friedman, author of “Making America Modern: Interior Design in the
1930s” (Bauer and Dean Publishers, 2018) and the acclaimed Vienna-based historian Dr. Caroline Wohlgemuth, whose research
has focused on the history of Viennese furniture design and the exile of Jewish architects and furniture designers from Vienna
in 1938. Her book “Mid-Century Modern; Visionary Furniture Design from Vienna“ was published by Birkhäuser in 2022.
Focused on five Austrian and American pioneering designers of the mid-century, the A(R)Talk
05 is part of ACFNY’s continuous effort to highlight overlooked female creators in the fields of art, architecture, and design.
While Friedman will present recent research on the American designers Ilonka Karasz (1896-1981), a Hungarian émigré and Eleanor
Le Maire (1897-1970), Dr. Wohlgemuth will speak about the Austrian designers Ella Briggs (1880-1977), Friedl Dicker-Brandeis
(1898-1944), Felice Rix-Ueno (1893-1967), and Liane Zimbler (1892-1987). A conversation, moderated by Dr. Stephanie Buhmann,
Head of Visual Arts, Art, and Architecture at the ACFNY, will follow the illustrated presentations, preceding a Q&A session
with the audience.
Dr. Caroline Wohlgemuth studied law and arts management in Vienna and London.
In the course of her studies at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, she conducted scholarly research into the history of
Viennese furniture design and the exile of countless Jewish architects and furniture designers from Vienna in 1938. In her
publications, she explores the life histories of forgotten artists and designers, particularly women, as well as flight, expulsion,
and exile in art and design. Image Credits: Ela Angerer
Mid-Century
Modern – Visionary Furniture Design from ViennaCaroline Wohlgemuth
In the series Edition Angewandte
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