Alfons Bach | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1904 Magdeburg, Germany |
| Died | August 19, 1999 Pensacola, Florida, U.S. |
| Nationality | German |
| Education | Berlin |
| Known for | Industrial design, tubular steel furniture |
| Notable work | Remodeling of Sach's and the Seneca Textile Building |
| Movement | Bauhaus |
Alfons Bach (1904 – August 19, 1999) was a German industrial designer and watercolor painter. He is known for his architectural design projects and his tubular steel furniture, which have been described as "icons for their period."[1]
Early life and career
Alfons Bach was born in Magdeburg, Germany. He grew up in Munich. He attended school in Berlin.[1] He moved to the United States in 1926, settling in New York, New York. Before his move, he had studied film and design.[2]
Career
Bach designed the remodeling of Sach's and the Seneca Textile Building, both in New York City.[2] His work was exhibited in early contemporary industrial art shows at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[1] In 1938 he designed his own home in Stamford, Connecticut. He led the project to build the Ridgeway Shopping Center, one of the first shopping malls in the United States.[2] Bach designed tubular steel furniture in the 1930s for the Lloyd Manufacturing Company. They continued to produce his pieces until 1947. These tubular pieces are considered a link between Bauhaus and modern design style.[1] He moved to Florida in 1959. He designed the Palm Trail Plaza and Palm Trail Yacht Club in Delray Beach.[3] He curated the United States exhibition at the International Industrial Design Exhibition in 1969.[2] He designed work for General Electric, Keystone Silver, Pacific Mills and Bigelow-Samford. He served as president of the American Designers Institute.[1]
Later life and death
In 1992, he moved to Pensacola, Florida where he died in a nursing home on August 19, 1999, at the age of 95.[1][4]
Legacy
His work is held in the collection of the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum and the Yale University Art Gallery.[1][2] A set of 17th-century sliding-door panels from a Zen temple in Kyoto, Japan, owned by Bach and his wife, Anita, reside in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pace, Eric. "Alfons Bach, 95, Designer of Tubular Furniture". Arts. The New York Times. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Alfons Bach". Collection. Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- ↑ Mayhew, Augustus (11 July 2011). "Urbane Developments: Miami & Delray". New York Social Diary. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ↑ "Alfons Bach". Pensacola News Journal. 21 August 1999. Retrieved 15 August 2023.