Norman Bel Geddes Designs America: some 200 never-before-seen drawings, models, photographs and films of theater sets and costumes
A visionary who was equally comfortable in the realms of fact and fiction, Norman Bel Geddes (1893-1958) played a significant role in the 1920s and '30s, shaping not only modern America but also the nation's image of itself as innovator and leader into the future. Bel Geddes most famously expressed his dynamic vision of this American future -streamlined, technocratic, and optimistic- with his unforgettable Futurama exhibition at the 1939-40 New York World's Fair. Bringing together some 200 never-before-seen drawings, models, photographs and films of theater sets and costumes, housing projects and appliances, airplanes and automobiles, the exhibition underscores that Bel Geddes sought nothing less the transformation of American society through design.