Henry Dreyfuss: design for people. An exhibition in Davenport
Henry Dreyfuss (1904 to 1972), who started out as a set designer, was a proponent of Art Deco in the early stages of his career and went on to embrace the Streamline Moderne style in the United States. From the 1930s onwards his work as a product designer was focused on consumer goods, with a particular emphasis on devices operated by humans. His work in this area was based on personal observation, as well as findings from the fields of anthropometry and ergonomics. Dreyfuss created many iconic products of American industrial design, such as the 720 John Deere tractor and the 500 phone model for Western Electric. He designed the interior of the Boeing 707, vacuum cleaners for Hoover and television sets for RCA. “The Measure of Man” was a publication that became a standard work of ergonomics and is still available today in an updated version. With the exhibition Henry Dreyfuss: Designs for the Modern Age, the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa, will provide a thorough insight into the diverse work of this pioneer of 20th century American industrial design. He laid foundations for design which are still valid today.
