About Paul T. Frankl

Paul Frankl was the first American designer to produce a totally original American furniture design with his 'Skyscraper' bookcases, the success of which led him to name his company 'Skyscraper Furniture'. Frankl created Skyscraper bookcases and cabinets with stepped silhouettes echoing New York City's ever-rising buildings. Skyscraper Bookcase with its strong vertical lines and staggered setbacks, is a witty evocation of the Manhattan skyline that spawned a whole rash of skyscraper-related objects. A number of these, including candleholders, cocktail shakers, coffee services, and textiles are included in the exhibition. Ultimately, the skyscraper motif in American design proved too extreme and eccentric to have a lasting and broad application. Nevertheless, the clean, contemporary, and very American look paved the way for streamlining. Developed by aerodynamic engineers as a means of minimizing air resistance, streamlining, with its bullet profiles and flowing lines, not only made objects move faster - it made them look fast. In a nation increasingly enamored with speed and power, streamlining seemed to evoke what was best and brightest about America's future.