Presenting Dorothy Draper

Joanna
April 17, 2006

If you don't know the name, you know her work. She is the incredible Dorothy Draper (1889-1969), and she is having a banner year. Draper is often referred to as "America's Most Fabulous Decorator," which also happens to be the subtitle of Carleton Varney's new book about her. Draper was a consummate business woman and a decorator with a innate sense for fresh, bold style and contrast. Her color stripes and floral glam inspired a generation of designers. She brought her exclusive, Upper East Side designs to the nation at large with her 1939 book Decorating is Fun! 

Starting May 2 You can see her work at the Museum of the City of New York's High Style of Dorothy Draper exhibition. And you can read about her in latest issue of Architectural Digest or in the New York Times.

Draper was famous for her saying, "If it looks right, it's right." This statement could be a mantra for design of any period. Her confidence in her vision changed design irrevocably. If you have missed her work, isn't it just fabulous that you can see it now?--because Dorothy Draper is fun, again.

 

Recent Posts

Side-by-side black and white photographs of T.C. Cannon (left) and Fritz Scholder (right).
Two artists coming together as teacher and student as part of the "New Indian Art" movement.
SAAM
Person leaning toward a vase in a plexiglass covered case in a museum gallery, other artworks fill the space in the distance.
The artist builds futuristic worlds and characters he pairs with his traditionally sourced and formed pots, where knowledge of the past provides guidance for future generations.
SAAM
Three paintings on a light blue background.
A new exhibition that restores three American women of Japanese descent to their rightful place in the story of modernism 
SAAM