Barbara Stauffacher Solomon Explained

Barbara Stauffacher Solomon
Birth Name:Barbara Ethel Levé
Birth Date:5 December 1928
Birth Place:San Francisco, California, U.S.
Death Place:San Francisco, California, U.S.
Occupation:Graphic designer,
Landscape architect
Spouse:
    Children:2, including Nellie King Solomon

    Barbara Ethel Stauffacher Solomon (Levé; December 5, 1928 – May 7, 2024) was an American landscape architect[1] and graphic designer.[2] She was best known for her large-scale interior 'supergraphics' and the exterior signs at Sea Ranch, a private estate with a Utopian vision in Sonoma County, California.[3]

    Early life and education

    Barbara Ethel Levé was born on December 5, 1928 in San Francisco, California to Fred Levé and Lilian Reinhertz Levé.[4] She was a third-generation San Franciscan. Her father, Fred was a lawyer who represented anarchists. Her parents separated when she was 4 years old. As a young woman, Barbara Levé studied dance and worked as a dancer, as well as, studying painting and sculpture at San Francisco Art Institute.[5]

    At age 20, she married the filmmaker Frank Stauffacher in 1948. The designer and printmaker Jack Stauffacher became her brother-in-law through this marriage.[6] Frank and Barbara Stauffacher had a daughter named Chloe.

    In 1956, after the death of her husband, Barbara Stauffacher moved to Basel, Switzerland to study graphic design at the Basel Art Institute, where she was a student of Armin Hofmann until 1959. She had made the decision to study graphic design because she knew she could make a living in that field.[7] [8] [9] She later studied architecture at the University of California, Berkeley and was graduated in 1981, writing her thesis on Green Architecture and the Agrarian Garden.[10]

    In 1969, she married Daniel Solomon, an architect and professor. Their daughter, Nellie King Solomon, also became an artist and has showed her work at exhibitions with Stauffacher Solomon.[11] [12]

    Career

    Stauffacher Solomon returned to San Francisco in 1962 and set up her graphic design studio. During that period of her career, she designed the monthly program guides for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.[13] [14]

    Stauffacher Solomon met landscape architect Lawrence Halprin in 1968 and he employed her at Sea Ranch, a novel condominium development along ten miles of the California coast in Sonoma County. Initially, she designed the architectural scale paintings for the building interiors. Her work at Sea Ranch grew from her vocabulary of signs to creating motion and an awareness of space throughout the project. She created the logo for the Sea Ranch that drew from Swiss design and California impressionism to interpret the rams and crashing waves associated with the massive property. Halprin went on to recommend her to other architects in the San Francisco area who gave her a free rein in the creation of designs that exhibited her talent.[14] [15] [16] She went on to receive two American Institute of Architects (AIA) awards for her work at Sea Ranch.[17]

    Stauffacher Solomon was an instructor at both Harvard University and Yale University during her career. While at Yale, an architect she had met during her work at Sea Ranch, Charles Moore, invited her to lead a studio project on supergraphics in 1968.[18] The studio was a week-long project creating two-dimensional graphics that reinforced the architecture of the Yale University Art and Architecture elevators. Her studio project was wildly successful and heralded by Ada Louise Huxtable as a protest against "the establishment".[19]

    In the short period of its existence as a magazine, Stauffacher Solomon was art director of Scanlan's Monthly from 1970 until 1971.

    In 1995, she designed a large outdoor art installation, Promenade Ribbon, for San Francisco.[20] In 2002, Stauffacher Solomon was a member of the San Francisco Art Commission.[21] In 2015, Stauffacher Solomon worked as a landscape architect and continued to create large scale graphic interventions outdoors.[22]

    Stauffacher Solomon is the author of the autobiographic book Why? Why not?.[23] [24] In 2016, Stauffacher Solomon was featured in the eighth book from Hall of Femmes featuring women in art direction and design.[25] [26] [27]

    Death

    Stauffacher Solomon died in San Francisco on May 7, 2024, at the age of 95.[28]

    Exhibitions

    Drawings and supergraphics by Stauffacher Solomon have been included in a number of museum exhibitions. In 2018, she created the supergraphic installation entitled Land(e)scape 2018 at the Berkeley Art Museum.[29] In 2019, she was the subject of a solo exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA).[30]

    From March to May 2021, another solo show of the work of Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, entitled Green Rectangle of Paradise (GROP), was held at Gallery Van Bartha in Basel. The show was curated by Matylda Krzykowski and showcased more than forty drawings and paintings by the artist, dating from 1980s to 2021. Krzykowski had introduced Stauffacher Solomon to the gallery.

    Books

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Book: Deitz . Paula . Of Gardens: Selected Essays . . 2011 . 978-0-8122-0696-8 . 53–56 . en . A Cultivated Civilization: Barbara Stauffacher Solomon's Drawings of Classical Gardens . 10.9783/9780812206968 . j.ctt3fhbr6 . 794700742 . https://books.google.com/books?id=H9xzdCNIXvYC&pg=PA51 . Google Books.
    2. Gould . Sue . Winter 1994 . Good Mourning California by Barbara Stauffacher Solomon . live . Design Book Review . 31 . 17–18 . 0737-5344 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230327130200/https://usmodernist.org/DBR/DBR-1994-31.pdf . March 27, 2023 . May 27, 2024 . USModernist.
    3. Book: Poulin . Richard . Graphic Design + Architecture. A 20th-Century History: A Guide to Type, Image, Symbol, and Visual Storytelling in the Modern World . . 2012 . 9781592537792 . Beverly, MA . 156 . en . 781679585 . Google Books.
    4. Web site: September 14, 2020 . Barbara Stauffacher Solomon . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240510011351/https://www.vonbartha.com/artists/barbara-stauffacher-solomon/ . May 10, 2024 . May 14, 2024 . Von Bartha.
    5. Book: Brook . Tony . Supergraphics: Transforming Space: Graphic Design for Walls, Buildings & Spaces. Unit 2 . Shaughnessy . Adrian . Adrian Shaughnessy . . 2010 . 9780956207111 . London . 279 . en . Interview: Barbara Stauffacher Solomon . 636913508 . registration . Internet Archive.
    6. Web site: May 4, 2017 . Supergraphics' Barbara Stauffacher Solomon legacy is ready to be told . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240514045258/https://www.typeroom.eu/supergraphics-barbara-stauffacher-solomon-legacy-is-ready-to-be-told . May 14, 2024 . May 14, 2024 . Typeroom . en.
    7. Book: Graphic Design in America: A Visual Language History . . 1989 . 9780810910362 . Friedman . Mildred S. . Mildred Friedman . Minneapolis . 254 . en . Biographies . 19351709 . Freshman . Phil . registration . Internet Archive.
    8. Web site: Cowles . Dan . March 28, 2018 . Visions Not Previously Seen: The Groundbreaking Design Work of Barbara Stauffacher Solomon . live . https://archive.today/20240527-202504/https://creativecloud.adobe.com/discover/article/visions-not-previously-seen-the-groundbreaking-design-work-of-barbara-stauffacher-solomon . May 27, 2024 . June 20, 2019 . . en.
    9. Web site: 26 May 1971, 21 - Dayton Daily News at Newspapers.com. Newspapers.com. en. June 20, 2019.
    10. Web site: September 11, 2020 . Von Bartha announces representation of Bernar Venet, Barbara Stauffacher Solomon and Claudia Wieser . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230401102619/https://artdaily.com/news/128138/Von-Bartha-announces-representation-of-Bernar-Venet--Barbara-Stauffacher-Solomon-and-Claudia-Wieser-#.YEgnbOaIbfY . April 1, 2023 . May 27, 2024 . ArtDaily.com.
    11. Web site: January 20, 2023 . SUPER-SILLY-US: Barbara Stauffacher Solomon with Nellie King Solomon . deviated . https://web.archive.org/web/20231219041054/https://patch.com/california/novato/calendar/event/20230325/09108529-0ed9-4d26-9c09-671753765c6a/super-silly-us-barbara-stauffacher-solomon-with-nellie-king-solomon . December 19, 2023 . December 19, 2023 . . Novato, CA . en.
    12. Web site: May 5, 2020 . BEYOND: Works by Nellie King Solomon and Barbara Stauffacher Solomon . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231219050906/https://smoca.org/exhibition/beyond-works-by-barbara-stauffacher-solomon-and-nellie-king-solomon/ . December 19, 2023 . December 19, 2023 . . en-US.
    13. Web site: Artist - Barbara Stauffacher Solomon - Works . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240527211612/https://www.sfmoma.org/artist/Barbara_Stauffacher_Solomon/#works . May 27, 2024 . March 21, 2017 . . en.
    14. Web site: A multi-hyphenate pioneer: Barbara Stauffacher Solomon . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20201214222449/https://www.foldmagazine.com/multi-hyphenate-pioneer-barbara-stauffacher-solomon . December 14, 2020 . June 20, 2019 . Fold Magazine . . en.
    15. News: March 1967 . Bathhouse Graphics - [Moonraker Athletic Complex] ]. live . https://archive.today/20240527-213237/http://searanch.ced.berkeley.edu/s/sea-ranch/item/2253%23?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0 . May 27, 2024 . June 20, 2019 . Progressive Architecture . 158–161 . Journey to Sea Ranch - University of California, Berkeley.
    16. News: Furman . Anna . February 22, 2019 . T Suggests: Sumptuous Scrunchies, Radiant Paintings by an Outsider Artist and More - The Graphic Designer Who Painted Sea Ranch . registration . live . https://archive.today/20190304-223443/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/22/t-magazine/barbara-stauffacher-solomon-sophie-buhai-hair-editors-picks.html . March 4, 2019 . June 20, 2019 . . en-US . 0362-4331.
    17. 1970. Back Matter. Design Quarterly. 76. 26–28. 0011-9415. 4047343.
    18. Book: Stern . Robert A.M. . Robert A. M. Stern . Pedagogy and Place: 100 Years of Architectural Education at Yale . Stamp . Jimmy . . 2016 . 9780300211924 . 336 . en . 915493257 . Google Books.
    19. Blau . Eve . Eve Blau . 2016 . This Work Is Going Somewhere: Pedagogy and Politics at Yale in The Late 1960s . Log . 38 . 138 . 1547-4690 . 26323794.
    20. News: Adams . Gerald D. . December 20, 1995 . Skateboarders barred for art's sake . live . https://archive.today/20240527-225021/https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/skateboarders-barred-for-art-s-sake-3307695.php . May 27, 2024 . May 27, 2024 . SFGate.
    21. News: Hoge . Patrick . November 23, 2002 . S.F. struck by love / Cupid's big bow gets rise out of passers-by . live . https://archive.today/20130202-102922/http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/S-F-struck-by-love-Cupid-s-big-bow-gets-rise-2751612.php . February 2, 2013 . May 27, 2024 . . en.
    22. Web site: Segran . Elizabeth . July 15, 2021 . The most influential designer you've never heard of is a 92-year-old artist in SF . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230713055127/https://www.fastcompany.com/90655404/the-most-influential-designer-youve-never-heard-of-is-a-92-year-old-artist-in-sf . July 13, 2023 . July 16, 2021 . . en-US.
    23. News: Barros . Joe Rivano . September 9, 2014 . Rebecca Solnit Variety Show for Modern Times . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221226020447/http://missionlocal.org/2014/09/rebecca-solnit-variety-show-for-modern-times/ . December 26, 2022 . May 26, 2024 . Mission Local.
    24. Book: Stauffacher Solomon . Barbara . Why? Why Not?: 80 Years of Art & Design in Pix & Prose, Juxtaposed . Fun Fog Press . 2013 . 978-0-9885546-2-7 . San Francisco . en . 857249375 . 27153080M . Google Books.
    25. News: Snaith . Sarah . Summer 2017 . Advice from a mentor you may never meet . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230607031748/https://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/advice-from-a-mentor-you-may-never-meet . 7 June 2023 . 26 May 2024 . . 24 . 94.
    26. Book: Hall of Femmes: Barbara Stauffacher Solomon . Hall of Femmes . Interviewed by Marlin Zimm . 2016 . 9789163922459 . Johansson . Linda . en . 979561004 . Zimm . Malin.
    27. Web site: 15 March 2023 . 8 October 2013 . 25-Plus Books on Women in Design . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231010184054/https://www.designersandbooks.com/blog/20-books-women-design . 10 October 2023 . 26 May 2024 . Designers & Books . en.
    28. News: Green . Penelope . May 8, 2024 . Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, Pioneer of Supergraphics, Dies at 95 . registration . live . https://archive.today/20240509-024814/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/08/arts/design/barbara-stauffacher-solomon-dead.html . 9 May 2024 . May 9, 2024 . The New York Times.
    29. Web site: Hotchkiss . Sarah . August 16, 2018 . At 90, Barbara Stauffacher Solomon Has No Time for the Art World (and Never Did) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240517164000/https://www.kqed.org/arts/13839094/barbara-stauffacher-solomon-bampfa-art-wall . May 17, 2024 . March 18, 2019 . . en-us.
    30. Web site: 2019 . Exhibition - Barbara Stauffacher Solomon . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230327102403/https://www.sfmoma.org/exhibition/barbara-stauffacher-solomon/ . March 27, 2023 . March 18, 2019 . San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
    31. Book: Stauffacher Solomon, Barbara . Green Architecture: Notes on the Common Ground . . 1982 . Design quarterly, 120 . Minneapolis, Minn . en . 9071600.

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