Modernism, Inc.: The Eliot Noyes Design Story

Director Jason Cohn & producer Camille Servan-Schreibe IN PERSON for Q&A moderated by noted culture writer Andrew Gilbert after 6:30pm screening on Friday, August 23!

From the filmmaker of Eames: The Architect and the Painter comes a new documentary about a pioneer of modern design.

Architect Eliot Noyes was one of the leading pioneers of modern design during the mid-century, post-war boom in the United States. Educated by Walter Gropius at Harvard, Noyes did more than anyone to align the Modernist design ethos to the needs of ascendant corporate America. His impact on companies like IBM paved the way for Apple and many of the other design-conscious brands we know today. Modernism, Inc. explores Noyes’ remarkable career. As he did in Eames: The Architect and the Painter, filmmaker Jason Cohn uses the story of a mid-century icon to raise contemporary questions about the role of a designer in today’s world.

“Well-researched, well-crafted and fascinating. Noyes created and forged some of the most respected, meaningful, and influential industrial design programs in the United States. The rise and attraction of modernism on the heels of the postwar economic boom birthed contemporary design and philosophy that continue to exist and flourish today, influencing mega businesses, including Apple. The idea of beauty with utility, which was generated from the Bauhaus art movement, continues to remain vital today, and for this, we thank Noyes.” -Sabina Dana Plassa, Film Threat

Runtime
1h 19m
Year
2023
Director
Jason Cohn
Format
DCP
First Showing
August 23, 2024
Categories
  • Assisted Listening