Untitled (Set of 70), 1978
Kodalith
Work Glove I, 1995
Collage on Paper, 21 3/8" x 16 3/8"
Work Glove II, 1995
Collage on Paper, 21 3/8" x 16 3/8"
Work Glove III, 1995
Collage on Paper, 21 3/8" x 16 3/8"
Multi-Color Fin/Warehouse
Sculpture
Cafeteria Art
Mixed Media
Ivan Chermayeff was born in London, United Kingdom, in 1932 and died in 2017 in Manhattan. He studied at Harvard University, Massachusetts, the Institute of Design in Chicago, and Yale University’s School of Art, Connecticut, where he received his degree in 1955. A graphic designer, painter, illustrator, and photographer, Chermayeff is a founding partner of the graphic design firm Chermayeff & Geismar, Inc., New York. He has received numerous awards, including the Industrial Art Medal from the American Institute of Graphic Artists. His paintings, collages, and illustrations have been exhibited throughout Europe and Japan. His well-known design projects include the United States exhibit pavilions at Expo ’67 and ’70 and logos for the Smithsonian Institution, the Modern Museum of Art, Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, and the National Parks Service. Chermayeff created a series of kodalithographs for the Hechinger Company, photographic tools, hardware, and lumber in the company warehouse, then enlarging and cropping the images which he printed in high contrast. Removed from their usual context, the subjects become explorations of pattern, texture, light, and dark.
*Excerpted from Tools as Art: the Hechinger Collection, published by Harry N. Abrams Inc.