Introduction: Remembering When We Were Modern
1. When Art Nouveau Became New Again
2. Moderne Times
3. Fabricated 1950s
4. The Lure of Yesterday’s Tomorrows
Epilogue
References
Select Bibliography and Filmography
Acknowledgements
Photographic Acknowledgements
Maud Lavin, professor of Visual and Critical Studies and Art History, Theory and Criticism, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and author of Clean New World: Culture, Politics, and Graphic Design
"What happens when a stylistic revival is neither merely ironic nor flooded with sentimentality? Elizabeth Guffey considers retro’s resistance to modernist progressive cheerleading and, in fact, its rewriting of modernism itself. Deftly drawing from popular culture, consumerist trends, and design history, Guffey has created a great read and a challenging history in her brave, dizzying, and entirely useful study."
Christopher Hirst | The Independent
"[An] enjoyable exploration of retro chic. . . . Guffey offers an intriguing investigation of our seduction by the past."
Catherin Croft | Building Design
"Provides an interesting take on the various rapidly recycling revivals of the late 20th century. . . . A thought-provoking read - it weaves in lots of fresh and stimulating material which adds to our understanding of the complexities of post war cultural life."
Concept for Living
"In this informative and lively book, Elizabeth Guffey cuts through the ambiguities of the term retro and examines its roots, evolution and myriad manifestations. . . . Throughout, the book seeks to understand how and why the recent past has been transformed into a revolving door of pop historicism. . . . Based on considerable original research and including rich anecdotal material, the book is aimed at all readers interested in retro as well as twentieth-century art, design and consumer culture."
For more information, or to order this book, please visit https://www.press.uchicago.edu