and Tulip chairs for Knoll. He died in 1961 at age 51.
Although she didn’t graduate from Cranbrook, Florence Schust
Knoll maintained strong ties with the friends she had made while
there. After marrying Hans Knoll in 1946, she recruited weaver
Marianne Strengell, as well as Rapson and Bertoia, to design for
Knoll Associates. There, Bertoia designed his 1952 steel rod 421
chair, more famous today as the Diamond chair, which echoes
the inventive work he produced in Cranbrook’s metal shop. As
head of Knoll’s Planning Unit, Florence Knoll revolutionized interi-
or space planning during the 1950s through “total design,” which,
like Cranbrook, integrated architecture, manufacturing, interior
design and presentation, a departure from standard practice.
Following the Saarinen era, Cranbrook expanded to include
graphic and industrial design, photography and print media, and
instructors and students began to focus more exlusively on their
own departments. Strengell continued as head of the weaving
Above Silver Saarinen Urn, designed by Eliel Saarinen in 1934
department; her students included fiber artist Ed Rossbach and
for the 1934–35 exhibition “Contemporary American Industrial
fabric designer Jack Lenor Larsen. Under Maija Grotell, the ceram- Design” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The urn
ics department flourished, with students such as Toshiko Takaezu
was intended to be suitable for industrial production, although it
emerging as major innovators. Tony Hepburn’s tenure as depart-
was made only in limited numbers. At one time, Cranbrook had
four urns: one at Saarinen House, one in the Art Museum col-
ment head in the 1990s further solidified Cranbrook’s ceramics
lection, and one each in use at the Cranbrook and Kingswood
reputation. In the 1970s, design department directors Michael
Schools. The Met, the St. Louis Museum of Art and the British
and Katherine McCoy encouraged new theoretical approaches to Museum also own examples of the urn.
design practice, incorporating post-structuralist philosophy. From
1978 to 1985, architect Daniel Liebeskind directed the academy, 08” debuted on the lawn of the Cranbrook Museum of Art in
promoting innovations in architectural theory and advancements 2008, the first in Massie’s on-going ten-house series.
in pre-fabricated housing. Bringing current language to an enduring approach, Kroloff
But despite these multifarious innovations, it is Cranbrook’s defines Cranbrook as a “think tank,” where risk taking is encour-
mid 20th-century history that still hovers over the academy aged. “What remains a source of great vitality at Cranbrook, is that it
today. “One of the things we try to say very clearly, is that, creates a community where ideas are built and expanded upon,” he
then, Cranbrook was in the middle of a design supernova,” says says. “It was created as a place of conversation and debate.”
Kroloff. “They don’t come around everyday. Those that follow
are seen not to be lit as brightly.” Kim Carpenter is the co-author of Uncreated Light: Steve Joy
One of Kroloff’s goals is to revive the broad approach pio- Paintings 1980 – 2007, published by Prestel Verlag (2008). She is
neered under Saarinen. An example is Bill Massie, the current also a staff writer for Sculpture Review and writes about art and
head of Cranbrook’s architecture department, who is using art history for several publications including Art Papers, Ceramics
computer applications, digital media and other new technologies Monthly and Review Magazine.
to redefine traditional architectural practice, including methods
for efficient, customized prefabrication. His “An American House Special thanks to Leslie Edwards, Cranbrook Archives.
Chairs on title page are, from left to right Eero Saarinen, Pedestal (Tulip), 1956, Knoll; Ralph Rapson, Rapid Rocker, 1945, Knoll; Harry
Bertoia, Diamond, 1951, Knoll; Charles Eames and Ray Eames, Eames Lounge, 1956, Herman Miller; Charles Eames and Ray Eames,
Eames Molded Plastic, 1948, Herman Miller; Eero Saarinen, Womb, 1948, Knoll.
Saarinen House
Eliel Saarinen designed his residence, now named Saarinen House, on Cranbrook’s
campus. He lived there with his wife, Loja, from its completion in 1930 until his
death in 1950. Built near the artist studios, the home reflected his belief in the
connections among art, architecture and nature. He also combined traditions,
drawing on Arts and Crafts and Art Deco to create an aesthetic that reflected
modern American culture and its progressive, optimistic spirit. From Eliel’s exqui-
sitely designed furniture to Loja’s textiles and garden designs, the residence is an
important contribution to modern American design. Saarinen House is open to the
public May through October.
www.cranbrookart.edu/museum/saarinen.html.
Right Living room of Saarinen House, completed in 1930, with rug and textiles
designed by Loja Saarinen.
www.modernismmagazine.com 51
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