QuickLink: How Santa Fe and Folk Art Shaped Alexander Girard's Happy Modernist Design

Alexander Girard: A Portrait We've talked about the work of Alexander Girard for the better part of the past year. But what kind of person was Girard? How did he live and work? What drove ...
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We spoke to Girard’s grandchildren about his inspirations. As mid-century modernism's rebel, his fabrics, furniture, interiors, and graphics countered Danish design's austerity with acid colors, folksy figuration and geometric patterns, the “We Are the World” globalist style that became mainstream 70's-80's Western pop culture.

How did Santa Fe influence his designs?

Kori: In every way imaginable. Its unique landscape and diverse inhabitants are reasons it has long been a haven for alternative minds and creatives. He had respect for and interest in the Native American population living in New Mexico. Making visits to the pueblos, he established friendships with many Native artists. It is important to mention the proximity to Mexico and the rest of Latin America, for which he had a deep appreciation and whose varied cultures and arts had an ongoing influence on his work.

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