It’s a Mod, Mod, Mod World
PS Modernism 2016
Modernism Week’s signature February festival is a celebration of midcentury modern design, architecture, art, fashion and culture in Palm Springs California. The annual 11-day festival features a rich array of events including the Modernism Show & Sale, tours of iconic homes, architectural walking, biking and double-decker bus tours, a world-class lecture & film series, tours of the historic Annenberg Estate at Sunnylands, a Palm Springs Walk of Stars dedication, vintage fashion, classic cars, garden tours, a vintage travel trailer exhibition, and much more.
This look, characterized by clean lines and elegant simplicity, redefined forms of art, architecture, and design. Held in various venues throughout the city, the event easily offers more than 100 entertaining and educational events, including the Modernism Show, tour, films, lectures, swank parties, art exhibitions, music, food, fun, and more. Many events are free to the public. In fact, some valley visitors who inadvertently find their way to events are so taken with desert modernism that they end up buying their own “architecturally significant” property in the valley.
A highlight of the winter tourism season in Palm Springs, Modernism Week was originally launched with a handful of weekend events dedicated to showcasing the city’s mid-century modern architecture during the popular Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale. With its worldwide fame as a celebrity getaway and international vacation destination, a growing interest in the architecture of Palm Springs and the city’s world-renowned mid-century modern architecture is attracting a new group of enthusiasts who have put the area on the map for cultural tourism as well as fun in the sun.
From its grass-roots beginnings, Modernism Week has grown exponentially to eleven days and more than 250 events. A California 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, Modernism Week is a charitable organization, providing scholarships to Palm Springs students pursuing college educations in the fields of architecture and design. It also supplies grants to local and state preservation organizations for their efforts to preserve modernist architecture throughout the state of California. Revenue generated by Modernism Week neighborhood tours goes directly back into each community to help pay for various improvements such as restoration, landscaping, signage, and more.
The City of Palm Springs is the Presenting Sponsor of Modernism Week. To learn more visit modernismweek.com and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. All events are open to the public, and tickets are available at modernismweek.com.
16th Annual Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale
Produced by Dolphin Promotions, whose shows are among the leading venues for antiques and 20th century decorative and fine arts in North America, its president Rosemary Krieger provides complimentary booth space for fellow Modernism Week founding partners – Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture & Design Council, Palm Springs Modern Committee, Palm Springs Historical Society and Palm Springs Preservation Foundation – to help them share information about their mission and promote upcoming events.
“What sets the Palm Springs Modernism Show apart from other vintage 20th century shows is our emphasis on midcentury modern furniture, decorative and fine arts – mostly from the 1950s through the 1970s,” explained Krieger. “They were the years that Palm Springs became world-renowned as a playground for Hollywood actors, many of whom lived in the desert modernist architecture that we tour today. Our dealers’ merchandise is a reflection of that era and the midcentury resort lifestyle enjoyed in Palm Springs.”
Each year thousands of collectors and design enthusiasts flock to the Modernism Show & Sale in search of treasures from the midcentury modern era, making it the most well attended event of Modernism Week. New dealers exhibiting at the Show in 2016 will be Royle of Miami and Pierre Anthony Galleries of New York City and Miami, both showing fabulous American and European midcentury furniture including pieces by Italian designer Gabriella Crespi. The Butler and the Chef from San Francisco is another first-time exhibitor, specializing in vintage French and European industrial design.
Held in conjunction with Modernism Week, the Show & Sale will feature more than 80 premier national and international decorative and fine arts dealers with items representing all design movements of the 20th Century and select 21st century items.
Returning favorites include a La MOD, Christopher Anthony Ltd., Porter & Plunk and Route 66 West of Palm Springs; Dragonette Ltd., Fat Chance, Off The Wall, PCH Modern and Reform of Los Angeles; Katz Modern, Le Kube, Rosebud and Vintage European Posters from the Bay Area; Atomic Bazaar, Design/One, House of Blu, Objects:USA and Vestige of San Diego; Studio 101 of Santa Barbara; Palette Contemporary of Albuquerque; Red Modern Furniture of Phoenix; Sputnik Modern and 20CDesign.com of Dallas; Casa Navarro of Santa Fe; Kamp Gallery of Winnetka, IL; Modern Décor of Ann Arbor, MI; Ursus Books & Prints of New York; and AHRRS, Inc. Contemporary of Paris.
Hennessey + Ingalls, the largest art, architecture and design bookstore in the western United States, has been named the Show’s official bookseller. Founded in 1963 as an outlet for rare and out-of-print architecture books, the family-owned company’s in-depth selections of books in art and art history, all phases of architecture, photography, interior design, graphic design, and landscaping has made it a valued member of the vibrant art, architecture, and design communities in Southern California and beyond.
The show opens on Friday, February 12 at 6 p.m. with a festive Preview Reception to benefit Modernism Week. Enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres, live music and an exclusive opportunity to be among the first to see and shop the world-class collection of furniture, home décor, vintage accessories, and decorative and fine arts before it opens to the general public. Tickets for the Preview Reception – $75 per person in advance, $95 at the door – include valet parking and free daily admission to the Modernism Show & Sale for the rest of the weekend. To purchase visit www.modernismweek.com
The Palm Springs Convention Center is located at 277 N. Avenida Caballeros in Palm Springs. Admission is $20 per person and includes return entry all weekend. Show hours are Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Monday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
For more information and a list of exhibitors, please visit palmspringsmodernism.com.
What’s New for Modernism Week 2016
CAMP, Modernism Week’s ‘Community and Meeting Place’ and headquarters for tours and events, will move to an architecturally significant venue in downtown Palm Springs – the former 1957 J.W. Robinsons Department Store by Pereira & Luckman located at 333 S. Palm Canyon Drive. Introduced in 2015 as the central location for attendees to meet, shop, dine, learn, and relax between tours and parties, CAMP will feature stimulating programs and opportunities to meet authors, designers, and other industry luminaries through a variety of planned activities. CAMP will also feature creative on-the-go breakfast and lunch options from local favorites Koffi and Cheeky’s. CAMP will be open to the public with free admission Friday, February 12 – Sunday, February 21 from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. daily. Programs including films, lectures and design discussions are priced from $10, and tickets are available at the door or online at www.modernismweek.com
Modernism Week’s Opening Night Party – Hollywood in Palm Springs will take place at CAMP on Thursday, 2/11, a dazzling red carpet affair recalling the golden age of 1950s Hollywood in Palm Springs when the Rat Pack held court at the Chi Chi. Enjoy handcrafted martinis and cocktails, retro-inspired cuisine presented by Lulu California Bistro, and dance all night to a hard-swingin’ retro/jazz show by the amazing band NUTTY.
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