photographs by manfredi Bellati
New York: AIGA - Dan Friedman Radical
Modernism Exhibition. The Dan Friedman retrospective Radical Moderism on view at AIGA National Design Center, until January 9 is organized and designed by AIGA
Medalist Chris Pullman and Laura Varrachi of LVCK Environmental Graphics with
support from Dan Friedman's brother Ken Friedman. This vibrant and inspiring
exhibition spans Dan’s career from “traditional” graphic designer to
avant-garde designer in graphics, furniture and objects. It is amazing to see how contemporary and
fresh his design still are, nearly twenty years after his death. I first met Dan in the late 1970’s
early 80’s and remember the meeting well, I was invited with Pinky and Dianne,
to the newly opened English design
studio, Pentagram for lunch. They had
their own very private cook and a table was set up running the length of the
studio office, lunch was delicious. And though at that time he was working in a
creative corporate job, Dan was extremely hip. Over the years we became good
friends, he was a family friend, and would always stay with us in Milan where I
introduced him to Alessandro Mendini, Alessandro Guerriero, Enrico Astori of
Driade for whom he was to design furniture. In New York he introduced me to
Keith Haring, Tseng Kwong Chi, Tony Shafrazi – we had good times together and I
miss him greatly. Gradually Dan evolved into the artist he was to become. “An
eccentric” he wrote, “is one who devotes his or her entire persona to willfully,
creatively and positively expanding our view of the world.”
Dan’s Radical Modernist - #1. Live and
work with passion and responsibility; have a sense of humor and fantasy.
Chris Pullman
Dan’s Radical Modernist - #2. Try to
express personal, spiritual, and domestic values even if our culture continues
to be dominated by corporate, marketing, and institutional values.
Janet Kear and Ken Friedman
Dan Friedman Radical Modernism. Designer,
artist, educator and writer Dan Friedman (1945-1995) moved seamlessly between
the disciplines that made up his dynamic, though abbreviated, career. From
studying at Ulm and Basel to teaching at Yale, and from high-profile corporate
design to one-off experimental commissions and AIDS activism in the East Village
art scene, Dan pioneered New Wave design while encouraging young designers
to live and work with passion, responsibility, humor and fantasy. Inspired by
the autobiography and companion exhibition Dan created near the end of his
life, the installation is structured around the diverse phases of his
career, fully exploring his eccentric and inspiring journey to recapture the
idealistic roots of modernism with postmodern flare.
When Rizzoli, New York asked me to write New
Italian Design, one of the clauses in my contract was that Dan design the
book. I am so proud of the book. Dan
brought to life the Next Generation of the Milanese Design Scene, of the late 1980s.
Through the book he became friends with King Kong’s Stefano Giovannoni and Guido
Venturini. I offered a copy of the book to Brighton University, my son Barto's,
alma mater, they said “thank you, but we have already bought a copy”, and as I
was to find out later, it is on the bookshelves of most of the design and
architectural institutions. The book is important not only for it’s reference
to an era but also for it’s colorful, fresh and innovative graphic design. It
was a difficult job for Dan, because we didn’t have a budget for photography
and the designers themselves had to produce photos or sketches of their
work. As you can imagine, the formats
and the quality varied tremendously, making it a bigger challenge. Executed
magnificently.
Dan Friedman Radical Modernism. Disillusioned
by design that catered solely to the interests of business, Dan dove into the
art culture of the East Village. There he was accepted into a group of
like-minded “eccentrics” whose energy and diverse creativity enriched his own
ideas of what design and art could be.
Above. Katy K., Keith Haring, Carmel
Johnson Schmidt, John Sex, Bruno Schmidt, Samantha McEwen, Juan Dubose, Dan
Friedman and Kenny Scharf, Tereza Scharf and Tseng Kwong Chi taking the photo.
Dan’s Radical Modernist - #3. Choose to
remain progressive; don’t be regressive. Find comfort in the past only if it
expands insight into the future and not just for the sake of nostalgia.
Ken and Elinor Hiebert, David
Vanden-Eynden and Steff Geissbuhler
Dan Friedman Radical Modernism. The books Dan designed in the 1980s and ‘90s
for Keith Haring, helped making Haring a household name and, coincidentally,
assured him that his skills as a designer were just as valuable in his new
world as in the old corporate one. A few
years later, his catalog collaborations with gallerist Jeffrey Deitch for the
“Artificial Nature” and “Post Human” exhibitions, he created a whole new genre
of visual essay.
Dan’s Radical Modernist - #4. Embrace
the richness of all cultures; be inclusive instead of exclusive.
Jeffrey Deitch and Laurie Mallet
Dan’s Radical Modernist - #5. Think
your work as a significant element in the context of a more important,
transcendental purpose.
Kate Carmel
Dan’s Radical Modernist - #6. Use your
work to become advocates of projects for public good.
Cliff Abrams photographing the Truth
chair, 1987 for Neotu, Paris and Susan Grant Lewin
Dan’s Radical Modernist - #7. Attempt
to become a cultural provocateur; be a leader rather than a follower.
Dan Friedman Radical Modernism. After Dan’s death in 1995, his friends Keith
Godard and Ronnie Peters taped a tour of his apartment as he had left it. Dan’s apartment was his “painter’s canvas” it was an amazing visual experience and in all
it’s craziness and color, it was extremely elegant.
Above. Ronnie Peters, Chris Pullman and
Keith Godard.
Dan Friedman Radical Modernism. Untitled Sconce – c. 1987. Dan
was very fond of using raffia in his designs.
Dan’s Radical Modernist - #8. Engage in
self-restraint; accept the challenge of working with reduced expectations and
diminished resources.
Peter Rittmaster, Romina Djelosevic and
Bartolomeo Bellati
Dan’s Radical Modernist - #9. Avoid
getting stuck in corners, such as being a servant of increasing overhead careerism,
or narrow points of view.
Gavin Wassung, Scott Santoro and
Abigail Canary
Dan Friedman Radical Modernism. In 1994, near the end of his life, Dan offered
this 12 point “radical modernist” agenda for life and work, as wise, optimistic
and relevant as it was 20 years ago.
Dan Friedman Radical Modernism. Citicorp Fetish Assemblage from Dan’s
apartment – c. 1986.
Dan’s Radical Modernist - #10. Bridge
boundaries that separate us from other creative professions and unexpected
possibilities.
Christine Hiebert and Josh Pindjak
Dan’s Radical Modernist - #11. Use the
new technologies, but don’t be seduced into thinking that they provide answers
to fundamental questions.
Bob Seng, Lisa Hein and Paul Hein
Dan’s Radical Modernist - #12. Be
radical.
Dan Friedman Radical Modernism. Born in Ohio – announcement for an
exhibition at the University of Akron – 1991.
ciao dan