Joseph Urban: Unlocking an Art Deco Bedroom

by Amy M. Dehan (Author), Christopher Long  (Contributor), Elizabeth McGoey (Contributor) A fascinating, profusely illustrated, study of the impact of Austrian-born architect and designer Joseph Urban (1872–1933), on the development and acceptance of American Modernism through the story of one of his last commissions. Designed in 1929 and completed in 1930, this rare, bespoke bedroom, created for the seventeen-year-old Elaine Wormser, embodies the skillful blend of Viennese artistic influences, sleek modern finishes, daring color and pattern that marked all of the artist’s greatest achievements. The interior, whose elements are held by the Cincinnati Art Museum, has never been fully researched, published or displayed before now. Five essays, accompanied by nearly 90 full-color illustrations, unlock the narratives and significance of this important historic interior. Joseph Urban arrived in Boston in 1911; he lived and worked in the United States for the rest of his life. Over the next