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  The Wolfsonian–FIU is a museum that explores the inventive and provocative character of the modern world. Through objects and design, we reveal how the past influences the present and shapes the future.

Pioneers of Modern Graphic Design

October 16, 1997–April 30, 1998
The Wolfsonian–FIU @ 1001 Washington Avenue

Pioneers of Modern Graphic Design traced the sweeping changes that occurred in graphic design in Europe and America from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries. All holdings from The Wolfsonian’s collection, the items on display reflected the economic, cultural, and political climate of this dynamic period and represented significant styles and techniques used by pioneering graphic design professionals.

The goal of many movements of the period, from Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau to Futurism and Constructivism, was to integrate design into daily life through initiatives that fostered respect for the applied arts. This exhibition revealed how developments in typography, page layout, and illustration were inspired by and, in turn, influenced these movements—with graphic designers undercutting “high” culture by providing images for an infinitely wider audience while proclaiming worth equal to the fine arts. Graphic art—easily reproduced and adapted to dynamic new styles—captured the vitality of popular culture in this time.