Luxury and Modernism: Architecture and the Object in Germany 1900-1933 Hardcover - 2018

"One of the most persistent myths about modern architecture is that it was inherently politically progressive. In this compelling account, Robin Schuldenfrei reminds us that modernism was often out of the reach of the masses, which of course enhanced its appeal to those who embraced its lavishness."--Kathleen James-Chakraborty, University College Dublin

"This provocative book upends long-standing tropes about the egalitarian credo and industrial mantra integral to the canonic episodes of German design history. Schuldenfrei unveils modernism's guilty pleasures to confront us with the foundational paradoxes at the heart of the Werkbund, the Bauhaus, and Mies van der Rohe's most heralded residential designs."--Barry Bergdoll, Columbia University

"Luxury and Modernism offers many wonderful insights into a story we thought we already knew. By repurposing the notion of luxury away from being a taint, Schuldenfrei makes an important case for the depth and complexity of modernism as it was practiced, sold, and consumed."--Amy F. Ogata, author of Designing the Creative Child: Playthings and Places in Midcentury America

"Courageous and compelling, Luxury and Modernism is an important work that offers a critical reassessment of key figures and designs that have become central to our understanding of the birth, evolution, and legacy of modernism."--Monica Penick, University of Texas at Austin