Palm Springs, California is a bastion of classic midcentury architecture, and Modernism Week shares its many permutations in glorious California style.

The city is already welcoming early arrivals of the 120,000 visitors who trek to the desert city each year to marvel at the wonders of all things midcentury modern. February 15-25 will see a world-class celebration with 350 events, tours and parties spanning design, architecture, art, fashion and culture.

All events are open to the public, and many events are free or low cost. Highlights include the Modernism Show, architectural walking, biking and double-decker bus tours of iconic homes in more than thirty neighborhoods, a classic car show, garden tours, a two-day vintage trailer show, nightly parties, and more.

Visit modernismweek.com to view the entire schedule.

Kudos to that “small but mighty” group of passionate friends and neighbors (plus design and architecture aficionados) who founded the first Modernism Weekend in 2005, and who have helped grow it into today’s world-class event.

Kudos also to partner Dolphin Promotions, who have brought forty years of experience to presenting the best of compelling 21st century art and design at the Palm Springs Modernism Show, with 130 national and international exhibitors all under one roof at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

 

Enduring Design: Midcentury Modern and Palm Springs

Midcentury modern is a very particular style reflecting the optimism of the post-World War II boom, pioneered by visionary architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright.

Characteristics include clean lines, floor-to-ceiling windows, open floor plans, wood, indoor-outdoor living, built-ins and functionality. Architectural Digest provides an excellent overview in their article Midcentury-Modern Architecture: Everything You Should Know About the Funky and Functional Style.

Palm Springs lent itself well to emerging modern architecture with availability of land, appealing climate, and the prosperity of the post-war years, combined with its growing popularity as a playground for Hollywood’s elite and Los Angeles’ power players. Many influential architects left their mark on Palm Springs, well into the 1960s. (We enjoyed reading DesignDash’s blog post A Brief History of Palm Springs and Midcentury Modernism while researching this post.)

In 1999 author Adele Cygelman and photographer David Glomb began an adventure to document the best examples of residential modernism in Palm Springs. This year marks the 25th anniversary of their book Palm Springs Modern, a seminal book documenting local architecture, with stories of original residents discovered along with the original residences. A cocktail party at the house where it all began will be part of Modernism Week’s festivities.

Midcentury modernism’s spirit of creativity, open flowing spaces and exploration of new materials have rendered this style enduring and influential to this day. After all, optimism never goes out of style.

 

For information on additional shows in the USA and abroad, download Ronati’s free guide Trade Fairs and Shows for Sellers of Art, Vintage and Antiques.