Signature Home Tour Video Series
Southridge Glass House by William Cody.
Touring modernist homes is an annual staple at the Palm Springs Modernism Week, and the online expression is no exception. Coming in two installments as a video series, tours this year feature iconic architecture and lesser known gems in various of the city's neighbourhoods. Examples include The Morse Residence (by Hal Levitt, 1961), The Cahuilla Hills House by O’Donnell + Escalante (by Lance O’Donnell, 2009), The Southridge Glass House (by William Cody, 1963), Trina Turk’s Ship of the Desert (by Erle Webster and Adrian Wilson, 1936), and Martyn Lawrence Bullard’s Villa Grigio (by James McNaughton, 1963).
The 1931 Aluminaire House Comes to Palm Springs
Aluminaire House.
A film tells the story of the Aluminaire House, which was designed by celebrated desert modernist Albert Frey and A. Lawrence Kocher. Aluminaire was designed for a 1931 exhibition in New York City and shows clear influences from Frey's time in Paris, as an employee at Le Corbusier's studio. The modernist house has now been moved and found a permanent home on the grounds of the Palm Springs Art Museum.
‘Best of Modernism' Auction
Chuey House.
This year's programme features an online auction of rare and distinctive items, linked to the theme of ‘Modernism'. Online bidding will be open between February 1 – 15 and spans experiences and specialty pieces. Overnight stays at key modernist hotels and homes, a private helicopter tour, signed photographs by iconic photographer Julius Shulman and art by Leo Marmol of Marmol Radziner are among the offerings. Grab your cards and get bidding, from February 1 at 12 p.m. PST.
Hollywood Revisited Online Musical Extravaganza
Palm Springs is well known for its iconic desert modernism, but it's equally famed for attracting the Hollywood elite during the cinema's golden age. Cue parties, cocktails and all manner of extravaganzas. These are reflected in the musical Hollywood Revisited, which sold out three years in a row during Modernism Week. For 2021, the event takes place virtually, continuing to convey the glitz and the glamour Palm Springs has come to become synonymous with.
Modern New Canaan – Evolution of Design: Bauhaus | Harvard GSD| New Canaan
Brunning House (1936) Chicago History Museum, Heinrich-Blessing Collection
Breaking beyond the geographical boundaries of Palm Springs to explore modernism in America as a whole, this screening takes the audience to New Canaan in Connecticut. This East Coast town became a centre of midcentury modern architecture during the 20th century. The film visits three of New Canaan's most iconic houses and talks to the homeowners who cherish them.
Philip Johnson and the Glass House
Phillip Johnson’s Glass House.
Plenty of talks will be broadcast during the Modernism Week in February, including this one, on Philip Johnson's Glass House. Ian Volner, author of the new book, ‘Philip Johnson – A Visual Biography’ and Wallpaper* contributor, is joined by Hilary Lewis, chief curator and creative director of the Glass House. The event includes a tour of the 47-acre compound and new footage of the house.
INFORMATION
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Rio Kobayashi’s new furniture bridges eras, shown alongside Fritz Rauh’s midcentury paintings at Blunk SpaceFurniture designer Rio Kobayashi unveils a new series, informed by the paintings of midcentury artist Fritz Rauh, at California’s Blunk Space
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New York restaurant Locanda Verde’s second outpost will transport you to a different time and placeLocanda Verde’s expansive new Hudson Yards osteria exudes a sophisticated yet intimate atmosphere overflowing with art treasures
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LVMH watch week 2025: everything we know so farOur guide to LVMH Watch Week 2025, taking place in New York and Paris, starting 21 January; keep an eye out for our updates
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LA Mayor Karen Bass outlines her plan for rebuilding the cityFollowing the devastating LA wildfires, which have destroyed more than 12,000 structures, the city’s mayor has outlined her plan for reconstruction
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Frank Lloyd Wright’s Weisblat House, a Usonian modernist Michigan gem, could be yoursFrank Lloyd Wright’s Weisblat House in Michigan is on the market – a chance to peek inside the heritage modernist home in the countryside
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Cabin House is a simple modernist retreat in the woods of North CarolinaDesigned for downsizing clients, Cabin House is a modest two-bedroom home that makes the most of its sylvan surroundings
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The case of the Ontario Science Centre: a 20th-century architecture classic facing an uncertain futureThe Ontario Science Centre by Raymond Moriyama is in danger; we look at the legacy and predicament of this 20th-century Toronto gem
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A Texas ranch house blends Californian charm and Asian minimalism in a 'balance in hybridity'Pontious, a Texas ranch house designed by OWIU, is a home grounded in its owner's cultural identity, uniting Californian, Chinese and Japanese roots
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Alvar Aalto: our ultimate guide to architecture's father of gentle modernismAlvar Aalto defined midcentury – and Finnish – architecture like no other, creating his own, distinctive brand of gentle modernism; honouring him, we compiled the ultimate guide
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Design Awards 2025: Alvar Aalto's Finlandia Hall is a modernist gem reborn through sustainability and accessibilityHelsinki's Finlandia Hall, an Alvar Aalto landmark design, has been reborn - highlighting sustainability and accessibility in a new chapter for the modernist classic
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The three lives of the Edith Farnsworth House: now, a modernist architecture icon open to allThe modernist Edith Farnsworth House has had three lives since its conception in 1951 by Mies van der Rohe; the latest is a sensitive renovation, and it's open to the public
