Paul T. Frankl (October 14, 1886 – March 21, 1958), an Art Deco furniture designer and maker, architect, painter and writer from Vienna, Austria, was the son of a wealthy real estate speculator.
Career
After Frankl completed his architectural studies at the Technische Hochschule in Charlottenburg (now Technische Universität Berlin), he traveled, spending time in Berlin and Copenhagen before arriving in the United States in April 1914. He settled in New York City and brought with him an outsider's fresh perspective and an enthusiasm for forging a uniquely American design aesthetic. Frankl began as an architect and later switched to designing and painting fine art and furniture. In the years between the two world wars he, more than any other designer, helped shape the distinctive look of American modernism.
Frankl had a competitive edge over US architects who stuck to the principles of Revivalism architecture. In the 1920s Frankl embraced modernist European design ideas and found himself among a small group of Austrian and German designers , who in some cases maintained workshops and showrooms in New York City. Rena Rosenthal and Edward H. Aschermann not only sold modern interior and industrial design in New York City, they also fabricated in the city. They were joined by Winold Reiss, Ilonka Karasz, Joseph Urban, and William Lescaze, while Kem Weber established modernist interior design on the US West coast. Frankl set up his architectural practice in New York City and was commissioned to designed film sets. As Frankl struggled financially, he had to accept commissions for interior designs. In the 1920s, Frankl introduced his celebrated skyscraper style (before turning to metal furnishings in the 1930s). Frankl opened Frankl Galleries on 48th Street, calling his company Skyscraper Furniture, which became an epicenter of American modernism, including modern textiles and wallpapers imported from Europe.
His solo art shows included New York City's Knoedler Gallery in 1931 and Los Angeles's Stendahl Gallery in 1944.AskArt, Paul Frankl biography
After he relocated to Los Angeles and opened a gallery on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, celebrities such as Fred Astaire, Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Walter Huston and Alfred Hitchcock became clients.
Frankl wrote several books and magazine articles about the Modern Style and was its most vocal proponent. He established the American Union of Decorative Artists and Craftsmen (AUDAC) in 1928.Grove Dictionary of Art, "Art Deco in the USA" He later designed production pieces for Brown Saltman of California and Johnson Furniture Company of Grand Rapids, incorporating an early use of biomorphic designs and novel materials such as cork veneer.Modernism Gallery, "American Art Deco Furniture" His style continuously evolved, from early skyscraper furniture to relaxed and casual designs favored by the Hollywood elite in the 1930s to manufactured pieces for the mass market in the 1950s.Modern, inside-out, Los Angeles Times, August 16, 2007 In 1934 he moved to Los Angeles where he taught at the University of Southern California and the Chouinard Art Institute. Used, out-of-print books he authored sell for hundreds of dollars in online bookstores.Amazon.com book listings
His daughter, Paulette Frankl, is an artist, author and photographer, and his grandson, Nicholas Koenig,Grandson Nicholas Koenig is a creative director for theme parks and interactive games.
Books New Dimensions: the Decorative Arts of Today in Words and Pictures, 1928. Form and Re-form: A Practical Handbook of Modern Interiors, 1930 (reprint 1975). Machine-made leisure, 1932. Space for living: Creative interior decoration and design, 1938. Principios fundamentales de la historia de la arquitectura, Leipzig y Berlín, 1914.
Collections Brooklyn museum of art.Brooklyn Museum San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.SF Moma Art Institute of Chicago.Art institute of Chicago Milwaukee Art Museum.Collection Milwaukee art museum Philadelphia Museum of Art.Phila museum. org Metropolitan Museum of Art.Metmuseum.org Grand Rapids Art Museum.
References
External links Long, Christopher (May 2007), Paul T. Frankl and Modern American Design Modernism Magazine Hughes, Edan, Artists in California, 1786-1940 (June 1989) American Art Annual 1933 Who's Who in American Art 1936-56 AskArt listing Studies in the Decorative Arts (spring/summer 2002)