Irving Harper, Paper Wizard. Also Visionary.

September 17, 2017 7:50 PM

You remember the 1950s atomic era of midcentury design. Most people think of George Nelson when they see the Marshmallow Sofa or the Ball & Sunburst Clocks, and of course Herman Miller Company. Hardly anybody knows about Irving Harper, who actually created these designs in collaboration with Nelson sometimes, and sometimes solo but Nelson was head of the design firm (though not a designer himself) and so he got all the credit. A few years ago, however, Harper was rediscovered. And to the delight of all, he was also discovered as the creator of charming and delightful paper sculptures. A book came out in 2013, and a video by the Herman Miller Co. has given credit to Harper's iconic designs.
posted by MovableBookLady (3 comments total)

That Guernica horse is great.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 11:19 PM on September 17, 2017

Wow, that was much more interesting than I expected. Some really delightful work both on the whimsical side and more dramatic. I had it in my mind that the color palettes from that style often weren't that pleasing to my eye, like the two textile prints shown, with their brown, orange, and gold patterns or the red of the button couch, but a lot of his pieces were quite pleasing in that regard. The colors for weren't bold, but subtlety gave them some added life. The paper dancer and the mix of colors in the wall hangings and shelved items particularly stood out.
posted by gusottertrout at 3:09 AM on September 18, 2017 [1 favorite]

I used to see one of those marshmallow sofas up for sale in Marshall Field's close-out section in the '90s. It was there for years and it was so strange I'd make a point of looking to see if it was still there any time I was in the downtown store. Too clueless to know what it was then, but I now know that what they were asking for it was a steal - unless it was a knock-off. (Also - this was a fascinating article.)
posted by lagomorphius at 5:51 AM on September 18, 2017