The Omni-Designer
May 2007
In the 1930s, Hungarian national Paul László (1900–93) joined a group of Modernist architects |
Mahogany-framed club chairs |
His approach was distinctive; each commission was conceived as a total work of art. He would design not just a house but also the furniture, drapes, fabrics, fixtures, rugs and lights. If specialized skills were necessary he would find the most accomplished craftsmen and artisans to execute his concepts.
“People would hire him, go to Europe, and come back six or nine months later to find the paintings on the wall, the toilet paper on the roller and slippers by the bed,” writes Julius Shulman, the famed architectural photographer of California Modernist buildings, in the introduction to a coffee-table book published by the László firm. With increasing fame and success, László accepted fewer architectural commissions, preferring to concentrate on interiors.
While László was deeply committed to making custom pieces, he also designed a small body of commercial furniture. From 1948 to 1952 he worked for the esteemed Herman Miller firm in New York, joining a stable of topflight designers—including George Nelson, Charles Eames and Isamu Noguchi—who were turning out pieces that were mass-produced yet artistically significant. László was more closely associated with the California furniture firm Brown Saltman, but, says Paul Donzella of Donzella 20th Century Gallery in New York, “László never embraced mass production. It was not the way he liked to work. His heart was not in commercial manufacturing. He was very hands-on, greatly preferring custom design, working with the very best craftsmen available to him.”
That is not to say that László avoided commercial projects. He designed notable commercial spaces for Howard Hughes in Las Vegas, several department stores in Los Angeles (Bullock’s Wilshire, Beverly Hills Saks Fifth Avenue, Ohrbach’s) and even a rather elegant Cold War–era bomb shelter for the U.S. Air Force.Regard for László’s work parallels the rising interest in mid-century Modernism that is evident in
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Fish-shaped table, solid wood |
Not surprisingly, László’s reputation has been strongest on the West Coast and stronger in the United States than abroad, according to Philippe Garner, Christie’s international head of 20th-century decorative art and design and the author of Twentieth-Century Furniture (Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980). Garner points out that while László “is well-respected by an American audience as an exciting talent within the story of 20th-century design, his work is not so well-known or appreciated internationally.” Blame that lacuna on the brevity of László’s career in Europe.
The situation may be changing, though, as trend-setting galleries stage successful László exhibitions that attract overseas buyers. Last year, Donzella 20th Century mounted a large show of important pieces—its second in a decade—featuring furniture never before seen on the market.
Of the 50 pieces on view, half came directly from the personal holdings of the designer’s son, Peter, an avid collector of his father’s work. Over the years Peter László had accumulated a substantial body of custom pieces, buying back from clients when he could and acquiring some from his mother, who also had a cache. “The show was a success, and a great many of the pieces sold quickly,” says Donzella, noting that “about 25 percent went to Europe.”
László once said, “I don’t try to design look-at-me houses. I try to give the modern style an ageless importance, to be ahead of my time and yet build a comfortable home.” Today’s collectors think that’s exactly what he did.
Roberta S. Maneker, an Art & Antiques New York correspondent for 10 years, has held executive positions at Christie’s and Phillips de Pury & Company. She recently reported on the “100 Top Collectors Who Are Making a Difference” (March 2007).