Talk:Mid-century modern

Adjective, not a noun
Mid-century modern is an adjective, rather than a noun. I don't know if there's a rule among encyclopedia editors that all entries must be nouns, but I can't think of an entry that isn't. Flipping through the Britannica, I find nothing but nouns of one sort or another. If adjectives aren't allowed, the problem can be solved by changing the entry to Mid-century modernism and making the appropriate changes in the text. --Rensselaerswick1637 14:40, 28 July 2006 (UTC)


 * In case anyone wondered (better late than never, eh?): Though mid-century modern does seem like an adjective (after all, "mid-century" and "modern" are), it is indeed a noun when used alone (Merriam-Webster entry here), similarly to terms such as "art nouveau" and "Gothic Revival". – AndyFielding (talk) 12:23, 25 March 2024 (UTC)

Duplicate Article. No it's just a REDIRECT
See here: Mid Century Modern. I am not sure of how to properly fold the two together myself. CuteGargoyle 17:59, 17 September 2006 (UTC)


 * I'm studying how to merge the two into a new one titled either "Mid-century modern" (lower case with the hyphen) or "Mid-century modernism" and hope to do it in the next few weeks. JaySeaAre 17:11, 22 November 2006 (UTC)


 * Mid Century Modern is a REDIRECT to Mid-Century modern, so they are the same article. If you want to change the title, you hould have a good rationale and present it here for discussion, then wait five days or so, before you do the move. Lentower 21:34, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

I think this page needs to become a subcategory of Modernist Architecture, but am unsure how to do this myself Mccainre (talk) 06:14, 15 February 2009 (UTC)


 * I disagree about making it a sub-category of Modernist Architecture because mid-century modern is more than just architecture. It's also encompasses furniture and industrial design. I'm working on fixing this subject and defining it into at least 2 sections, architecture and industrial design (furniture, etc.) I have vast resources for research on the industrial design side, and some solid knowledge on the architectural history of the mid-century. I hope to have it completed soon. -- Georgefondue March 26, 2009

==essay== I'm moving this unsourced section from the main page as either a suspect copyvio or original research - it has a quite unencylopedic tone, doesn't chime with most interpretations of mid-modernism, I'm just not thinking of the jetsons when I'm thinking of Kahn or the Smithsons or Goldfinger (who isn't mentioned) and quite why Los Angeles is singled out as the locus for it all is a mystery. --Mcginnly | Natter 09:53, 19 July 2007 (UTC)

Mid-Century modern (1940-1970)


 * "Interior design for the space age"

If one is unfamiliar with Mid Century Modern style, try to imagine the sleek futuristic interior of the 21st century (atomic age) home of George and Jane Jetson. Or vision the ultra cool, high end sophisticated 'rat pack', standing in front of the sweeping entranceway of Las Vegas' Sands Hotel (designed by architect/designer Wayne McAllister) of 1952.

In the pre-World War II period, modern architects designed revolutionary buildings which boldly rejected applied ornamentation and took their inspiration from the organic world and the machine age. Los Angeles became a magnet for many of these visionaries.

Following World War II, new technologies enabled architects to experiment with a palette previously unavailable to them. Modern buildings built between 1940 and 1970 tend to have clean, simple lines, a minimum of decoration, lots of glass, a flat or angled roofline and use materials such as Formica, aluminum, stainless steel, flagstone, or terrazzo. Signage often used neon and plastics with unique typefaces. Resins, plastics, metal alloys, laminates, and other new materials merged for the first time, creating some of the most astonishing and innovative design and architecture ever.

Parking their finned automobiles in sleek carports, modern postwar families moved into tract homes and high art model homes with indoor/outdoor living spaces, open floor plans, exotic landscaping, and abstract furnishings. Wartime sacrifices were blown away, along with most walls, revealing a brighter, fresher, better world of tomorrow.

The cool futuristic sparse interiors of these space age homes are the very essence of Mid Century Modern.

Adding External Links
At the bottom of the entry for the mid century modern designer Milo Baughman, there is a section called "external links" which displays some of his works. How does one add an external links section to an article? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.197.58.5 (talk) 18:52, 21 January 2012 (UTC)

Capitalization? Mid-Century, Mid-century, or mid-century
Which is right? This article is internally inconsistent.


 * In my opinion, "Mid-Century" should be used on the masthead of a page. "Mid-century" should be used at the beginning of a sentence and "mid-century" within the chain of a sentence. Pounamuknight (talk) 01:34, 17 January 2015 (UTC)


 * Correct (he said, nine years later). It's a noun, but not a proper noun. – AndyFielding (talk) 12:31, 25 March 2024 (UTC)

Additional addition to the Additional Mid-century modern architects, artists and designers section
A very contemporary and very important architect-designer that is missing and should be included in the list is Frank Gehry At 85, he's two years younger than Kagan and designed his influential Easy Edges furniture line in the late 60s.

(Pounamuknight (talk) 01:21, 17 January 2015 (UTC))

External links modified (January 2018)
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I have just modified 2 external links on Mid-century modern. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20150615070748/http://www.palmspringslife.com/Palm-Springs-Life/February-2007/Modernism-Timeline/ to http://www.palmspringslife.com/Palm-Springs-Life/February-2007/Modernism-Timeline/
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20131211170837/http://psmodcom.org/wp-content/themes/modcom/PDF/VANITY%20FAIR-JUNE%201999.pdf to http://psmodcom.org/wp-content/themes/modcom/PDF/VANITY%20FAIR-JUNE%201999.pdf

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American?
The article states that Mid-century modern is an American movement but I'm not sure that's true. Is that sourced from an academic definition? Additionally, This article cites lots of designers that are not American and items that were not created in America or even especially for American audiences. MCM is a bit of it's a bit of a catchall because the term only existed after the initial wave of interest waned so MCM (as a term and as a distinctive movement) wasn't well defined in the 1950-1970s.

In this source (I wouldn't necessarily call it a definitive source), the author has Danish modern encapsulating MCM: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Danish_Modern/sgl3fgfQewUC. --Ew3234 (talk) 05:20, 16 October 2020 (UTC)

Inconsistency
The lead says MCM encompasses graphic design, but there's no mention of this in the article, let alone a section devoted to it. -- Pete Best Beatles (talk) 01:29, 28 October 2022 (UTC)


 * In what? Advertising, certainly, but what else? – AndyFielding (talk) 12:33, 25 March 2024 (UTC)

In the same vein, there are images of some mid-century furniture but no real discussion of it. The industrial design section is almost entirely about ceramics. If this page is supposed to encompass MCM it needs a lot of work. If not it should probably be retitled. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.105.207.249 (talk) 14:47, 23 April 2023 (UTC)

mid-century modern tents
A link to the Springbar article might make a good addition to this page — either worked into the article content itself (other examples of mid-century style) or in "See also." Xlea Nollmav (talk) 01:23, 23 August 2023 (UTC)


 * Not really - the Springbar article was created for payment WP:COI, and Wikipedia is not in the business of free advertising. If there is consensus to include a mid-century tent/tent maker, Frei Otto's work is significantly more relevant. Tanzbrunnen Köln (0343-51).jpg, Tanzbrunnen Köln, 1957]] Netherzone (talk) 01:56, 23 August 2023 (UTC)
 * That's intense! Er, in tents. Okay, it worked better out loud. – AndyFielding (talk) 13:02, 25 March 2024 (UTC)

Crafting Modernism - mid century American art and design
I am filling out the Mid-century_modern section. I am working from the index of the book Crafting Modernism: Midcentury American Art and Design ISBN 978-0810984806. I am not adding citations to this book in the main space as there aren't citations for other names. I will only be adding names when there is a corresponding article. Please post here if there are questions or objections. Thanks. WomenArtistUpdates (talk) 00:13, 30 November 2023 (UTC)

Return to dominance (significant, right?)
I was agog to realize this otherwise excellently written article didn't say a word about the major resurgence in MCM-inspired design that began around 30 years ago, leading to its status as one of today's prominent esthetics. Though I wouldn't normally be so audacious, the situation seemed so clear, I've gone ahead and appended this to the lede:
 * MCM-style decor and architecture have seen a major resurgence that began in the late 1990s and continues today.

…with a ref to a 2023 Washington Post story on the phenomenon. Hope this meets with everyone's approval. Non-anarchistically, AndyFielding (talk) 13:05, 25 March 2024 (UTC)