An authoritative survey of the 20th century’s most defining movement in design and the applied arts, offering a thorough overview of every aspect of design produced from the inception of the International Style to World War II. The powerful aesthetic and philosophical framework that modernism ushered in during the early part of the 20th century revolutionized the built world, transformed our living spaces and lifestyles, and fundamentally changed the way we think about design. As they experimented with new forms, materials and techniques, modernist designers rejected historical precedents to prioritize function over history and tradition.

This ambitious survey brings together all facets and all scales of design in a comprehensive volume that presents the vast breadth of both towering and lesserknown figures, revealing unexpected connections and new insights. Through sections on furniture, lighting, glass, ceramics, textiles, industrial and product design, graphic design and posters, architecture and interiors, and through profiles of nearly a hundred influential creators, including iconic figures, such as Bruno Mathsson, Charlotte Perriand and László Moholy-Nagy, as well as architects Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, Eliel Saarinen and Walter Gropius, the book’s scope is unprecedented.

Complete with specially commissioned essays by established academics and subject specialists, and with nearly 650 illustrations, the majority in colour, this book is set to become the definitive reference for a generation, equally indispensible for the designer’s studio, the library shelves or the collector’s desk.